The King and I
by SRN713
Summary: Born and raised on Dawn Island, Catherine Myuga lived a life she would never seek to change or escape from. Unfortunately, tragedy hits her life and forces Catherine to flee the island with her life. Ten years later, she reunites with her childhood friend Luffy, remembering the mistake she made so long ago: she had abandoned the one person that she fell for. [LuffyOC]
1. Prologue

_The sky had started to turn into an eerie looking, dark grey as massive clouds began floating over Foosha Village. The winds had started to pick up a little bit with every passing minute, and the distant sound of the waves crashing harder and harder onto the beach was heard. The trees that were situated in different parts rustled against the increasing power of the winds, while the plants on the ground swayed to and fro as if dancing with the wind in some odd dance. The once calm ocean waters, which I could see in the distance as I entered the village, were disrupted by the wind as they picked up speed. In turn, it caused my purple kimono to flutter and whip around as I quickly ran into the village, running as fast as my little six year old legs could take me. Everything that was taking place around me - the growing winds, the dark clouds, the scent of the ocean - was signalling that a storm was well on its way, and it was very close to hitting the island. Even in the distance, one could easily see the rain falling from several miles away, giving the inhabitants enough time to head home before it struck._

_Blinking my violet eyes once, I continued to make my way into the village, ignoring all the signs of the storm. Despite the few storms that came across the island from time to time, I knew that it did not change a thing. Life in the village was still so much fun, as there was plenty of things to do. As far as I could tell, there were not many issues or worries that had to be dealt with while living here, since Dawn Island was probably the most peaceful island in the East Blue. I suppose that was why my father Amani and mother Hiromi decided to live here in the first place, because it was so quaint and serene. It was a shame that my father was still out at sea, leaving behind his wife, eldest son Kenshin, and I to live on the island until he returned. At least, that was what I wanted to believe. Unfortunately, despite my previous thoughts, I was informed that he had disappeared during his journey to find the fabled One Piece. My mother, since she had loved him dearly, was worried that he had been killed after hearing of his disappearance, yet something in my mind and Kenshin's mind told us that he was still out there, alive and well._

_Even if I was upset about my father's sudden disappearance and constantly feeling lost from time to time, I eventually found myself smiling again. It was all thanks to Luffy, my closest friend on the island. No matter how upset I was about anything, he was always there to put a smile right on my face again. Of course, I did my best to do the same thing, though it was quite rare to see him upset about anything, and I shared his dream of helping him become King of the Pirates, a promise he made just last week before "Red Haired" Shanks, another good friend of ours, and my cousin Harumi left the island. For as long as I could remember, Luffy had always wanted to become a part of Shanks' crew, only to be laughed at by the other crew mates and made fun of. Being a pirate was a dangerous task, I knew that much, so I could see why Shanks always said no. In the end, however, Luffy vowed to gather a crew of his own and find the One Piece, making him King of the Pirates. To my surprise, Shanks really wanted to see that day come, even going so far as to give Luffy his straw hat as a symbol of that promise before leaving the island. Although it was sad to see them go, deep down it made me happy, knowing that Luffy's determination to become King of the Pirates would drive him in the years to come._

_A huge gust of wind helped me return to reality once again, making me remembered why I was going into the village in the first place, before picking up the pace. I remember my mother informing me that we were low on some food, and that she needed someone to grab a few of the items if possible; just some food to last the night before the storm came along, in case we ran out of food. It seemed like a smart idea when she told me the reason we needed it, seeing as we were already running out of the necessities rather quickly, so I decided to take the task. Before leaving the house, I poked fun at Kenshin by claiming it was he who was eating all of the food behind our backs, to which my mother laughed while the twelve year old stuck his tongue out moments before I left the house.. Much to my fortune, by the time I reached the village, the rain did not start falling, keeping me dry for most of the trek there. The winds, however, had started to pick up once I reached the location. Still, I had enough time to get the necessities I needed and quickly head home before the storm hit._

_Entering the village as quickly as I possibly could, I looked about the buildings that were nearby, taking note to the fact that there were no lights on. That only told me that they were closed for the night. After a few more seconds, I quickly approached a familiar building, one that I knew as Partys Bar, and noticing the lights were still on moments before flickering off. That only meant that someone was still in there and ready to leave. With a wide smile, I ran up to door quickly and knocked on it, hoping that the owner still resided inside. Within about a minute, the door opened to reveal the familiar face of Makino, the bartender who was very kind hearted to both myself and Luffy over the years. She looked down at me with a sweet smile, but her eyes held a bit of curiosity and worry. No doubt she was wondering what I was doing outside before a storm._

_"Hello, Catherine!" She greeted me despite the look in her eyes. "I was just about to head home before you arrived."_

_Taking a moment to catch my breath, I looked back up at her with a gleeful expression._

_"Hi, Makino!" I waved happily. "Do you know if any of the stores are open right now? I couldn't seem to find one, and Mother wanted me to come down here to get a few things before the storm hit. We're running a little low on food."_

_Makino looked toward the rest of the buildings, scanning over them for a brief moment, before looking back down at me and shaking her head._

_"No, I don't think so," she stated. "Everyone must have gone home early."_

_Blinking, I gasped in horror._

_"Oh no!" I exclaimed, placing my hands atop my black hair, which was pulled back in a bun with purple chopsticks in them. "That means we're going to starve during the storm! I don't want to starve!"_

_Makino laughed at my minor frantic state._

_"Luffy must really be rubbing off on you, Catherine," she pointed out with a smile, making me look up at her and gasp again. "I'd say you'd need to take a break, but I don't think that's an option."_

_At the mentioning of Luffy's name, I gasped in horror again._

_"Oh my goodness! If I die of starvation, that means I'll be leaving Luffy behind! And we promised to stick together to the end and find the One Piece!" My face fell into my hands. "I can't break a promise like that! I just can't do that!"_

_Makino could not help but laugh, making me feel that much more frantic than before._

_"Relax, Catherine." She spoke soothingly, grabbing my attention just as she stepped back inside the bar for a moment to grab something. When she returned, she handed me a small basket with a white cloth over top over. "Here, take this. It has bread and some fruits. I was going to take it home myself, but it seems you need it more than I do."_

_Blinking, I looked back up at her, my once frantic state gone in an instant._

_"I can't take this from you, Makino!" I told her worriedly. "It's just not right for me to do a thing like that!"_

_She shook her head and responded, "It's alright. I have have plenty of food back home. Besides, I don't think the storm will last longer than a few hours, so I'll be alright."_

_Feeling a bit guilty about taking the basket, I looked back down at the food with a bit of a frown before looking back up at her again and asked, "Are you sure...?" She nodded again, making me smile a little bit. "Well...okay. Thanks, Makino!" I turned around and began running back up the hill where my house sat, but looked over my shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow! Luffy said he wanted to stop by the bar before going on another one of his adventures!"_

_I watched Makino laugh as she waved and called out, "I'll see you tomorrow, Catherine! Say hi to Hiromi and Kenshin for me!"_

_"I will!" I replied with grin before looking forward again, running as fast as my legs were able to carry me. Little did I realize that I would never get that chance nor would I get the chance to see the sunrise on this island again._

_Small droplets of rain soon began to fall from the sky, drizzling over me with every passing second as I quickly made my way back home. In an attempt to keep the food dry, I quickly used my small body to shield the contents from the water dropping from the sky. I had to get home soon before it started pouring, as I did not want the food to be ruined. Picking up the pace, I continued to run down the path before reaching the hill that our house was situated on, spotting the familiar lights radiating from my home. As my smile grew with every step I took toward the brightening lights, my pace kept getting faster, and the grip on the basket became tight enough to keep it from falling out of my hands. Knowing Mother, she was probably waiting for me near the doorway, ready to greet me with a kind smile and a warm embrace. Kenshin would probably be nearby as well, ready to pounce on me and rub my head with his fist, laughing while I struggled for a bit before he embraced me in a brotherly hug._

_Unfortunately, that day was different, very different from all the others in the past. It was a day that would forever haunt me to this day._

_Approaching the door, I ignored the aching pain in my legs as I reached up toward the handle and opened the door, pushing it with one hand before entering and shutting the door behind me. I took a moment to catch my breath, seeing as how the run all the way back was much harder than I thought it would be. Then again, we did live on a hill on the outskirts of the village. Once I had caught my breath, I felt myself smile and turn around, expecting my mother to be standing there waiting for me just like every other night. However, instead of seeing her smiling face looking down at me, there was no one standing there. Scanning around for a moment, it felt like I was all alone, abandoned for no reason at all. Frowning at the change in scene, I took off my scandals before taking a few steps forward into my home, still holding the basket in my arms._

_"Mother?" I called out, looking around for a moment as I continued to enter the home at a slow pace. "Mother, are you here? I got the food!"_

_Silence was my only response, and I could have sworn my voice echoed as well. The silence made my chest clench with worry and a bit of anxiety. It was not like her to leave me standing at the front door unless she was making food for the three of us. My face brightened at that thought, giving me a bit of relief. Maybe she was cooking food and did not hear me come in. Nodding to myself, I slowly began walking toward the kitchen, expecting her to be there making dinner for us. Unfortunately, despite my assumptions, the scent of her wonderful cooking did not fill my nostrils, and the sizzling sound of cooking food was not heard either. Entering the kitchen, I looked around once more, realizing that my gut was telling the truth; she was not there. The worry soon turned to one of uneasiness as I set the basket on the table and turned back around. The house was eerily silent excluding the sound of the rain falling against the ceiling and windows, and it made my heart beat faster._

_"Mother?" I tried to call her again, to which I did not get a response yet again. Instead of calling for her, I tried to call my brother. "Kenshin? Are you guys here? Is anyone here?"_

_Nothing. It only increased the anxiety and fear even further than before. It felt like I was all alone now, both my mother and brother leaving me to fend for myself. However, I knew that could not be true. They would never do something like that, especially to someone who became scared easily. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly began moving back to the living room and toward the stairs, hoping that one of them, or both, was up there. Maybe they were sleeping, taking a nap to sleep out the storm. However, when I approached the stairs, I noticed something I never thought I would see. Violet eyes widened in horror as I noticed a small trail of red dripping from step to step. The red looked an awful lot like blood, frightening me even more. My heart rate picked up as my gaze began moving up to the top of the stairs. A light was still on, signaling that someone was home, yet I did not feel as relieved as I thought I would. Instead, I still felt afraid. Someone was in here, though I did not think it was a friendly person._

_Inhaling deeply, I began walking up the stairs, my body trembling with fear and making sure I did not step on the blood that still trickled down the steps. What's going on, I thought to myself. Something must have happened to cause the house to become eerily silent as it was. Sadly, nothing in my little six-year-old mind could comprehend just what it could have been. Nothing could have prepared me for the unthinkable, a horrible event so frightening and heart wrenching that it would scar me for the rest of my life. Reaching the last step, I noticed the light was coming from my room...as was the trail of blood. My body trembled to a point where I could barely walk on my own anymore, yet I forced myself to continue my trek to the source of the problem. Swallowing the lump in my throat once more, I slowly approached my door, which happened to be slightly ajar. With a shaking hand, I slowly pushed it open, revealing a sight that forever haunt me. My eyes widened and I gasped, my heart shattering to a thousand pieces, as realized what was going on and what had happened._

_My mother's body was collapsed on the ground, lifeless and not moving. Her body was caked in blood; it was battered, beaten and cut up in so many ways it was hard to tell where the blood was coming from. A pool of blood surrounded her and trailed out of the room, down the hall and toward the stairs where I first saw it. She was lying haphazardly on the ground, not even flinching as the sound of her little girl gasping in terror. Her body did not twitch nor did it even make any subtle movements to show she was breathing at all. Her skin was a ghostly white and sickly pale, almost as if she was dying from some sickness. However, I knew for a fact that she was not sick. At least, not anymore. I knew just what happened to my mother, though I never expected to happen to her, not like mother was dead; she had been brutally murdered._

_Speaking of the dreaded term, my widened, terrified eyes trailed up to spot a lone figure standing over the body, a sword held in hand and stained with blood, her blood. The figure's clothes were also stained with red as well, giving the impression that there may have been some sort of struggle. In a way, it was almost as if it threw itself onto the body and soaked up some of her blood for no reason. Unable to form any words, it did not take me long to figure out who it was. Even from the minor distance, I could see that it was a boy, standing around seven inches taller than I was. Before I could even inhale, the figure turned his head slightly toward me, revealing a widened violet colored eye, as if he had gone insane. Paling at the sight before me, only one word escaped my lips as I realized just who had committed the unspeakable crime:_

_"B-Brother...?"_

_Kenshin, at first, did not respond to my words, but looked back at our mother's body quickly. It was as if he was realizing what I was looking at, and only just figured out what was happening. I took a small step back, my heart rate rising with every passing second. Before I could take another step away from the scene, his head turned back to me, his eyes widened._

_"C-Catherine..." He spoke, his voice hoarse. It was at that point that my world came crashing down around me. I had finally snapped; I was broken._

_Shrieking at the top of my lungs, my legs suddenly began sprinting toward the stairs once again, pulling myself away from the scene that plagued my mind with horrible visions and ruined me in the years to come. Everything around me seemed lash out or break apart, as if everything that I once knew was now gone and destroyed all in that instant. I heard Kenshin's voice call my name as I sprinted down the stairs, begging and pleading for me to come back, yet I ignored him. After what I had seen, there was nothing he could say or do to take that image out of my mind. I could no longer look at him the same way as I had done before. I could no longer look at him without seeing my mother's body lying beneath his feet, his eyes filled with madness and insanity. I could not longer look at him without seeing a monster, a murderer, a killer._

_Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I nearly tripped and fell to the ground, but I was able to catch myself as I continued to run, heading straight for the front door. When I did, I quickly threw it open, not bothering to put on my shoes, and ran outside. By now, the rain was pouring from the sky, and thunder was cracking. The moment I stepped outside into the rain, I could feel myself becoming drenched with the falling water, and the cold breeze made my body shiver violently. Nevertheless, my legs did not stop running for even a second, and my heart would not stop beating rapidly out of the immense pain and fear that coursed through my entire body. My tears would not stop falling, either, and no matter how hard I tried to push it away they would always come back even worse than before.._

_After running down the hill and nearly tripping on the mud for the second time, I ran straight toward the village once again, slipping on the muddy ground a few times in the process due to the strong winds whipping at me. Yet, I tried not to let my pace or the gusts of wind prevent me from getting away from him. I could still hear Kenshin's voice calling my name through the roaring of the winds, yet I refused to respond or look back to see where he was. I just kept running forward, tears still running down my face as flashbacks of the scene ran through my head multiple times. Even if I wanted to look back, my mind refused to let that happen. I did not want to try and figure out what happened. I was afraid the same fate that befell my dear mother would fall upon me as well. The thought of ending up just like my mother made me shiver and cry even harder. Who knew what Kenshin was capable of, especially after seeing the bloody that was the woman who brought us into this world?_

_Looking forward frantically, I realized that I was reaching the docks, where the ships that were unattended rustled against the harsh and crashing waves. For a moment, I imagined the waves of the water rising up and down dangerously, the winds lifting it and forcing into the beaches. After what seemed like an eternity, something in my mind told me to do something I never thought of doing since I had gotten here: leave the island. Leave the island and never look back for even a second. As much as the thought never occurred to me, it was the only way to get away from Kenshin for good._

_Inhaling as the thought locked into my mind, I picked up the pace and continued running toward the docks, my mind pressing me to keep going. However, my heart began pounding harder and a bit painfully, as if it did not want me to leave and was trying to convince me to change my mind. It wanted me to go searching for help quickly in order to stop Kenshin. Maybe there was someone who figure out the situation before it got out of hand. However, my mind continued to scold me, telling me to leave the island and not look back for even a second or risk ending up like my mother. With that in my head, I ignored the throbbing and just kept running as fast as my legs could take me. They ached even more from when I was running before, but I could feel the fear running through me to a point where it no longer mattered. Thunder cracked loudly throughout the sky, making me jump and shriek loudly. Had it not been raining and thundering when I shrieked, everyone would already be out of their homes, wondering what was going on. Sadly, as fate would have it, it just happened to be raining and thundering when I needed help the most._

_Before I even had a chance to decide to go looking for anyone, I was already entering the docks. Spotting the first boat that caught my eye, I ran toward it without stopping to take a breath until I forced myself to slow down and untie the rope that kept it from floating away during the nasty looking storm. Kenshin's voice had disappeared some time ago, and when I looked up to search for him, he was nowhere in sight. Not wanting to waste any time searching for him, as he may have been closer than I thought, I jumped into the boat just as I finished untying it. Looking around the boat, I noticed that there were a few pieces of food inside of the boat, possibly left behind by a previous user. The water that crashed against the boat soaked me to the bone, bringing me back to the reality that I tried to escape from. I no longer cared about the water falling onto me anymore and simply focused on escaping. After pushing myself out toward the sea, I turned around, picked up one of the oars, and began rowing as quickly as possible. My mind cheered me on, telling me not to look back no matter what and just to keep rowing forward. However, my heart was now beating so hard against my chest that it began to hurt, yet I continued to ignore it as I kept on rowing as fast and as hard as I could._

_Suddenly, the sound of my brother's voice was heard in the distance once again, only this time he was not alone. Eyes widening at the familiarity of the second voice, I did the exact opposite of what my mind did not want me to do. My head spun around in an instant as I spotted Kenshin near the docks, frantically begging for me to come back. Standing next to him was Makino. Both, like myself, were soaked due to the rain, yet ignored it as they watched me leave, calling for me to turn around and come back. Before I could say anything, a crack of thunder sounded throughout the skies and the waves kept pushing me forward and out to sea. Panicking, I attempted to row back to the island, wanting to get out of the storm despite what had happened, but it was no use. The waves continued to push me out to see, forcing me to watch helplessly as the island grow smaller and smaller in my vision. The voices of Kenshin and Makino slowly faded away with the rain, waves, and thunder, and I knew now that I was no longer able to tell what they were saying._

_It was at that point, in that instant, that I knew there was no way I would be able to turn back now. I would never be able to see the island again..._


	2. Ten Years Later

**_Ten Years Later..._**

"Catherine. Catherine, wake up. You ain't sleepin' all day."

I groaned groggily at the familiar voice calling my name, waking me from the vivid dream before anything bad happened. The sun shined in through the window and forced me to wake up even more than I would have liked. After a moment of silence, I slowly opened my pupiless white eyes, staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom for a long time. I felt beads of sweat run down the side of my face, as if I had done a lot of running or training for a period of time. However, I knew exactly what it was, and it made me feel even more upset. It was because of the dream I had, a dream that was so real I thought I would never wake up. In a way, I was truly thankful that the voice was there to wake me up when it did. However, I was curious as to why I was not awoken when the horrible memories came around, when the worst parts came along. Then again, I could not be too upset over that, since it was just a dream. The only difference between every other dream and the one I had, though, was that my dream was not just that; it was, in fact, real.

Frowning, I closed my eyes and sighed, running a hand over my face in order to both clean away the sweat and wake myself up.

_Ten years had passed since that day_, I told myself, allowing my hand to fall onto my lap absently. Ten long years had passed since that fateful night, a night that haunted me for years. It was the last time I had ever seen the home that was Foosha Village, where all of my friends. As much as I wanted to go back, there was no way I could do it unless I had a navigator of my own to take me there. Unfortunately, no one on the island was like that at all, leaving me stuck in a rut. I tried to worry about my past as much as I wanted to, but no matter how hard I did that, it would just come back to mentally kick me in my dreams. Sometimes, they would get so bad that I would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and crying at times. Oddly enough, there were days when they were not very vivid, and others when it would keep me up for the rest of the night due to the fear of dreaming about it again. I felt stuck, unable to escape from my past no matter how hard I tried to forget about it.

Blinking, I slowly glanced over at the familiar face of the man who had taken me in and watched over me for ten years. A small smile graced my lips as I sat up, my messy, long black hair rising with me.

"Good morning, Monroe," I spoke in a voice that sounded tired, yet sweet like sugar. At least, that was what Monroe used to tell me. "It's good to see you."

The man that sat before me was a tall, burly man of around forty years of age, his short brown hair obtaining noticeable grey hairs, signifying that he was getting older (though he did not want to admit it). It was usually shaggy and unkempt, mostly because he did not have the time to fix it up, but they did not mean he was not keen on personal hygiene. His eyes were a dark green shade, and his beard was rather scruffy. He wore a dark blue shirt that show his large, mildly hairy arms that were covered in a few scars here and there. His body size was rather big, as if exercising was not in his vocabulary. In reality, it was the opposite, as he worked out at least once a day in the early hours of the morning. A black belt was situated around his waist as well, keeping up his baggy grey pants. I assumed he had on normal scandals, since it was always warm in the spring and summer months on this island.

Despite the tough looking exterior, he was very much a simple and kind man living a normal life on the island, willing to help anyone in need without ever asking for anything in return. It was the reason I was lying in that bed today. He had found me ten years on the shores of the island, starving and cold after escaping from my original home, a home that I had just recently dreamed of on more than one occasion. Without even a second thought, he took me and took care of me, helping me regain my strength and giving me a second chance to live. In my eyes, I saw Monroe a strong leader and a great warrior, ready to protect his friends and family through any kind of dangers the world had to throw at him. In the end, it made me respect him greatly over the years that I had known him, and I looked up to him as my teacher and mentor. Even to this day, I still had plans to repay him for everything that he had done for me, despite all of his protests.

He returned the grin, placing a fatherly hand on my shoulder.

"Ya must've had a rough night," he spoke, his voice gruff and hard like stone, yet gentle at the same time. "Yer sweatin' buckets again, just like last time."

Blinking, I glanced down at the sheets, noticing their dampened color, before smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry about that," I muttered, shrugging absently. "I had that nightmare again, so I must have gotten a little...scared."

Patting my shoulder lightly, he got to his feet. He stood at about six foot two inches, towering over me by about nine inches.

"Hey, don' be so sorry, Cathy," he assured me, sounding a lot like a father would, as he turned to look at me again. "Not yer fault that it happens a lot. It's a natural part 'o life to have nightmares."

Smiling, I threw the blankets off my body and sat on the edge of my bed, allowing the bottom of my feet to touch the hardwood flooring and sending a slight shiver up my spine. At the moment, all I had on was a purple tank top and shorts, which was what I usually slept with during the night, since it was usually hot around this time of year.

"I guess you're right, Monroe." I said in a low tone, gaze falling to the floor while keeping a smile on my lips. "It _is_ just a dream, after all."

He chuckled at my words.

"I'm always right, Cathy," he triumphantly, placing his large hands on his shoulders, "aren't I?" That only made me giggle in response and nodded.

In more than one way, Monroe was very much like my father, the same one who had disappeared and was presumed to be dead. Although I remembered exactly what he looked like and the way he acted, since I had picked up many of his traits, Monroe still seemed to stand in as one, which I greatly appreciated. I looked up to him as I had, and still do today, to my real father, knowing that he had taught me things only a father could show. Monroe did his best to spend time as much with me as could, whether it was through training or simply heading into town as company. Although I still respected and loved my father for who he once was - a pirate who lead his own crew to sea - Monroe was around most of the time to teach me a lot of life lessons that I could use someday. There were some things my late father had told me, like how to survive in life and to follow what my heart had told me, but I did not really understand any of it at the time, not until I had come of the age.

My smile grew slightly as the memories of the past, memories of my father, came to pass. If only my mother were still alive to meet Monroe, to see what a great man he was to me, even if he was a married man.

At the sudden remembrance of my late mother, my smile quickly diminished. I suddenly remembered that fateful day ten years ago, the day I had lost my mother so forcefully. To think it had been so long since I had last seen my beautiful mother made my heart sink like a rock. I still found it hard to believe that someone had the audacity to even consider killing my mother, who had done nothing but help everyone around her. Her death was an unneeded one, an unwanted one, and yet it happened anyway without much of a second thought. Even as I look back on it, there was nothing that I could remember my mother doing that would bring upon such a horrible demise. It only brought up questions. What had happened that caused such an event to occur in the first place? Did my mother do something to displease another person? Did she do something that displeased...Kenshin?

My fists clenched tightly at my brother's name, causing my blood to boil instantly. He was the reason I had forced myself to run away from my home, run away from everything that I had once loved without even considering what others would think. As selfish as it sounded when it came to Altin Island, the name of the island I resided on, it was the place I was born and raised in for six years of my life. It was hard to look back on it and think of all of the people I left behind so carelessly. All because he made the horrible decision to murder our mother, the one person who took care of us for much of our lives. His reasons were a complete mystery to me. Unfortunately, I did not think that time would come around, especially since the only thing on my mind was seeking him out and putting an end to him. The thought of doing such a thing to my own brother hurt me, but he had to pay for what he did to our mother.

Closing my eyes, I sighed. He was going to pay dearly for murdering her. Even if it meant risking my own life.

"Cathy, ya shouldn't think 'bout yer past so much." I looked up at Monroe, who placed a rugged hand on my shoulder. "It ain't healthy, 'specially someone yer age. I told ya that one too many times."

I tried to smile in response, knowing that Monroe was looking out for me, but I could not do it. It was hard for me to do when the past was so vivid in my mind.

"I know that..." I started, my voice low and rather distant, as I looked down at my hands, "but I can't help it." Violet eyes narrowed slightly. "After everything that happened and from seeing that dream appear in my mind so much, it's hard not to look back on it sometimes."

"That may true, but ya gotta understand that it's the past," Monroe explained. I looked back up at him again. "It may be hard, but eventually ya gotta put all that to the side at some point and just live your life while you still can."

My head lowered again as I looked toward my window, listening to the sound of chirping birds as they sang their own mysterious tune.

"I just wish I knew why it happened," I muttered out loud. "Why would Kenshin do something like? He loved her just as much as I did, and yet..." My eyes closed, placing my hand against the side of my head. "My head hurts just thinking about it."

He chuckled a bit at that, placing a hand on top of my head and ruffling my hair a bit.

"Then stop thinkin' 'bout it, Cathy," he informed me, smiling warmly as he moved toward the door. "While yer doin' that, I'll be checkin' on breakfast. Mallorie should be finished with it now." He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. "I'll be headin' into town to get some things if you wanna come along."

Smiling in return, I nodded and said, "I'd like that. It'll help get my mind off that dream."

"It better," he joked, "or I'll have to shake it outta ya."

Laughing in response, I chose against replying as he left the room, closing the door behind him along the way. Not wanting to waste time, I got to my feet, stretching out my limbs briefly, and headed over to my dresser. Once grabbed all of the necessary undergarments, I moved to my closet, where I pulled out a blue tank top with a dark blue jacket and matching pants. Since my scandals and other items, like much ninja pouch and sword, were near my bed, I would worry about them at a later time. I placed my jacket on the bed, deciding against bringing it with me, and headed to the bathroom, feeling the need to take a shower after sweating buckets from the dream. Turning on the lights, I walked inside and shut the door behind me, placing the articles of clothing on the sink. Before I could strip down, I found myself looking the full body mirror that was attached to the door, looking over myself for just a brief moment.

After ten years, my appearance had changed. No longer did I look like the little girl that wandered in kimonos, but instead I looked like a young woman. Midnight blue locks grew out to reach the middle of my back, while two strands remained over my shoulders. Blunt bangs framed my face and accentuated my violet colored eyes, a trait that had run through my clan for many generations. My physique was nothing special to say the least; one could say that I was rather scrawny, but in reality I was strong enough to hold my own in a fight. The proof behind that could be seen in the ten long years of training in the art of fighting. My skin was fair despite how much time I had been in the sun, yet it really did not matter to me. Unlike some of the women that resided in Ahmiran Village, I did not have much of a defining chest to really consider myself a woman, but as I mentioned before appearance matter little in my eyes. Still, according to Monroe's wife, Mallorie, she believed that I may have gotten more of my looks from my mother. Seeing as how she was beautiful to me, maybe Mallorie wanted to tell me that I was beautiful, too.

I smiled, imagining my mother in place of me. I suppose I did look a lot like my mother.

Bringing myself back to reality, I removed my clothes and jumped into the shower, turning on the water and cleaning off any sweat residue that may have dried up since I had awoken. It did not take longer than ten minutes to wash my body and my hair, enough time to get dressed and head downstairs to eat something before going into town. Once I turned off the running water, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the nearest towel, drying myself off before moving to wrap my hair up. After doing that, I put on my undergarments first, then slipped on my pants. I had a bit of trouble getting them on for a good minute, since my legs were still a bit damp, but I was able to get them on nonetheless. Satisfied, I slipped on the tank top before removing the towel on my head, shaking out the blue locks before picking up the nearby brush and combing it out. It knew that air drying would easily dry any damp parts of my hair, so combing it out would have to do. Once I was satisfied with the look, I smiled to myself before opening the door and entering my room.

The moment I opened my bathroom door, a knocking sound erupted from my bedroom door, making me look over to it briefly before calling out, "Come in!"

Without a second thought, the door opened as I walked over to the bed, where the jacket still resided. When I picked it up, I looked over to the door to find the familiar face of Monroe's wife Mallorie, smiling that motherly smile of hers. Her eyes, a vibrant shade of blue, gave me a welcoming sense whenever I looked at her. Her hair was chestnut brown and curled lightly, framing her heart shaped face and giving her a more innocent appearance. Her skin was about as light as mine, and her body shape was a bit more...voluptuous than my own. Nevertheless, she did her best not to show off, always wearing modest clothing to keep any curious eyes from looking in her direction. In other words, she was very faithful to her rough looking husband and wanted other men to be sure of that. It made me smile a bit, knowing just how faithful she was. In a way, I looked up to her, knowing that she was a very respectable young woman.

"Good morning, Catherine," she said, her voice sweet and gentle. She was holding a plate of food in her hand; no doubt it was breakfast. "I knew that you would be joining Monroe to get a few things, so I thought I'd save you the trouble of coming downstairs to eat."

I could not help but smile and shake my head, putting on the jacket and pulling out any excess hair that was caught in it.

"Mallorie, you didn't have to do that," I informed her, sitting on the bed in order to put on my sandals. "It would have been no trouble coming downstairs."

She shrugged and moved over to the bed, placing the food next to me, as she said, "Don't worry, it's no big deal. Knowing my husband, he doesn't like to wait."

"His impatience has made me a lot faster in getting ready over the years," I informed her in a joking manner, earning a light giggle from the young woman.

Mallorie reminded me so much of my late mother. Her mannerisms and kindness immediately brought me back to my childhood, picturing my mother in her place from time to time. It was probably why I felt close to her over the years, about as close as I was to my real mother. When she learned about what happened, she tried to look on the bright side, telling me that my brother might have had a reason for what he did. That, or he did not do it at all. At the time, I was too young to understand what she meant, so I did not think on it, but that was a different story for another day. She always had some sort of advice to tell me or her husband, that advice usually turning out to be the best advice she could ever give to a person. Much like Monroe, I looked up to and respected Mallorie as my stand in mother, appreciating her taking me in as their daughter. In a way, I was glad to become a substitute, since Mallorie was incapable of having a child of her own.

I closed my eyes briefly and mentally shook my head. That was a story for another day.

"Well, I'm glad it's good for someone," she replied, taking a step back as I finished putting on my sandals.

Looking over to where the food was placed, I noticed that she had given me a plate of something simple, knowing that I really did not eat much in the morning unless I had gotten up to train. It was just a plate of eggs, two slices of buttered toast, and a glass of juice. As menial as it was, I was still appreciative of what was given.

"Did you need anything from the market, Mallorie?" I asked as I started eating the food. I took a moment to swallow what I had before continuing. "Or did Monroe ask you that already?"

She smiled and nodded.

"He already did, but I do appreciate the thought," she informed me. "As of now, no. I don't need anything at all. We still have some left over from last week."

I laughed at the memory as I finished off the rest of the eggs.

"We went a little over board that day," I said out loud, "but I least we have enough to last us for at least another month or so."

She laughed at the comment just as I started eating the toast.

"You're right about that, Catherine," she stated, "which is why I told Monroe that going out to buy anything else was a little ridiculous."

"Who knows?" I questioned before finishing the last of the toast. "We may need something and not even realize it. Better to be safe than sorry. That's what I usually say." Once again, she started to laugh as I took a sip of juice. However, that laugh was only short lived, as she started to watch me for a long time. When I looked at her, I noticed a rather distant look in her eyes, as if her mind was reeling about a single thought. Curiously, I put down the drink and asked, "Is something wrong?"

She blinked as though she were returning to reality, looking at me with wide eyes for only a moment before smiling again.

"Well...I've been meaning to ask you something important, but I never really got the chance to speak with you about it." She explained. My brows furrowed, wondering what she needed to ask me about. Inhaling, she looked me in the eye and asked me a question that left me silent: "I was wondering. Do you remember who Luffy is?"

My body suddenly froze at the sound of that familiar name ringing through my ears like the echoing of church bells. How long had it been since I had even mentioned his name in the vicinity of Mallorie and Monroe? How long had it been since I found myself smiling about the childhood friend who made me less shy around people I did not know? After taking a moment to look back, I realized that it had been some time since I spoke about the familiar boy that was Luffy. I did recall speaking of him for a good year or so, since I was so eager to talk about my adventures with him to the new faces in my life and talk about how much fun we had, but never did I get the chance to actually explain _who_ he was to Mallorie and Monroe. In a way, I felt like slapping myself in the face for not even telling them that much. Luffy was my childhood friend, the boy who shaped me into facing anything without hesitation. He helped me gain a huge confidence boost in my life, and yet I did not even have the decency to even talk about him to my own caretakers.

I blinked once as my head lowered briefly. _Who am I kidding,_ I asked myself. If I had the audacity to abandon him ten years ago, why would I feel compelled to talk about him today? Maybe to preserve the memories of our past, I assumed, so I would never forget who he was to me. Even if it was a long shot that our meeting would have come about, the least I could do was remember him for who he was, praying that his journey to find the One Piece would be a successful one.

Remembering the question that was asked, I looked back up at Mallorie, whose expression turned into one of worry, before sending her a reassuring smile.

"Of course I remember Luffy," I responded. "How could I forget?"

She smiled in relief, knowing that I was perfectly fine, before saying, "Well, I was curious because I found something that we don't normally get around here."

Blinking, I tilted my head to the side a bit before standing up; she and I were about the same height, give or take a few inches.

"What is it?" I inquired curiously. What did she find that could have involved Luffy? Mallorie looked me in the eye for a long moment, but before she could say anything, the sound of Monroe's voice calling me was heard, making me look past his wife quickly before looking back at her. "I guess it's time to head out." I said, glancing at the ninja pouches and sword briefly before deciding against bringing them along. "We can talk about this when I get back." I looked back at her and approached her, smiling widely as I embraced her in a loving hug.

"O-oh, um..." She started as I released her. Then, she smiled. "Alright. We can talk about it when you get back."

With a single nod, I walked past her and walked out of the room, leaving her behind to think on our future conversation. Little did I realize that the person in question was a lot closer to returning into my life than I thought.


	3. Arrival

**_General POV_**

_Grumble._

Monkey D. Luffy sat on his usual spot at the front of the Going Merry, atop of the familiar figurehead like he always did, and looking straight out into space with a near blank expression on his face. A frown was visible on his face, and it appeared to be one of frustration. The grumbling of his stomach was enough to bring him back to reality for a moment, but it only lasted for just that moment. By the time his hand fell upon his stomach in the realization that he was hungry...still, he was already lost in his thoughts again, a trait that often came to pass from time to time to the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

His journey to find the fabled One Piece had brought him to many different places, seen so many new things, that it was hard to take it all in. Not only that, but his crew was growing more and more as time went on, bringing his dream that much closer to him. The hardships they went through, the tests they had to pass, among others had led them to this point. Luffy was happy with that, happy that there were so many adventures, some of which earned him a new crew mate to join him on his quest. Despite all of that, though, Luffy still felt that something was...off. He never really thought about it, at least not as much as he was now. To him, something seemed to be missing from that dream. It was enough to bring him back to his childhood once more. Ten long years have passed since he made a vow to surpass Shanks and become King of the Pirates. Yet, when he looked back on it, he realized that he was not the only who made that promise, or at least the only one who promised to see his dream come true.

Blinking, he looked up toward the sky, his other hand falling upon the familiar straw hat that once belonged to Shanks. He remembered the one person who promised to join him on the same journey to find One Piece, the one person whom he had known for so long and remembered all too well.

"Catherine..." He unconsciously muttered to himself, envisioning the young girl whom he had not seen in ten years since her disappearance.

How could he forget about the once shy and well mannered Catherine, the girl who had joined him on his many adventures and even vowed to join him on the very journey he was on now? Well, he did not forget about her; she just...slipped his mind for a while. It was not until he had a moment to himself to really think about everything that had gone in thus far before he remembered her. He found it surprising that it had been ten years since he laid eyes on her, the last time being at Partys Bar planning another adventure. What was really upsetting about it was that not only was it the last time they saw one another, but her last words to him were memorable. He remembered mentioning something about the two of them getting separated for whatever reason and wondering what would happen. With a smile, Catherine assured him that, even if they were separated, they would always find a way back to each other in the end.

As he remembered those words, Luffy could not help but smile that familiar wide grin of his. Something told him that they would find one another again, and that the time was closer than he thought.

"I figured you'd be up here." Luffy turned his head over his shoulder to find his first mate and ex-pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, appearing from the stairs. "You haven't said much since we started heading to that nearby island."

The captain looked forward again, remembering the reason why they were stopping at the closest island - they needed supplies, and Luffy was hungry..._again_.

"Well, I was thinking about Catherine," he told him honestly.

A confused look crossed Zoro's face as he questioned curiously, "Who's Catherine? A friend of yours?"

"Yeah. A really old friend," Luffy responded, looking back at the swordsman and keeping his hand on his hat. "She lived with me back at my home when we were kids, and we spent a lot of time together." He looked back up at the sky

Zoro leaned against the railing closest to the figurehead where Luffy sat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What? Did you leave her behind or something?" He asked, looking up at Luffy who turned to face forward again. "It doesn't seem like something you'd do if she was your friend since childhood. I would've expected her to be here as your first mate instead of me."

An unfamiliar look crossed Luffy's normally jovial face as he answered, "To be honest, she would have been my first mate, but she actually disappeared from the island ten years ago and I haven't seen her since then." Zoro blinked once just as Luffy's head lowered a bit. "I was just wondering where she could be by now."

"Who knows?" Zoro looked up at the sky, similar to what Luffy was doing moments before the swordsman arrived. "Maybe she's waiting for you on the Grand Line. Or better yet she's busy looking for you."

The moment Zoro said that, Luffy's demeanor brightened instantly, turning to look at his swordsman once again. It was a thought that never occured to him.

"Yeah! She has to be looking for me!" He exclaimed happily. "There's no way she could stay away from home that long and not look for me! She loved being at sea, so maybe she decided at some point to try and meet up with me again!" He, suddenly, stood up, looking out at the sea with one hand on his hip and the other on his straw hat. Zoro simply watched him for a moment as his captain continued. "I've made up my mind. During our journey to the Grand Line, we'll keep an eye out for my friend Catherine. And when we find her, she's joining my crew! No questions asked!" He looked at the swordsman again. "How does that sound, Zoro?

The ex-pirate hunter could not help but sigh, yet he did smile in agreement. Even if he wanted to say no, there was nothing that could change his mind about finding his missing friend and making her a part of the crew. Besides, it was just another crew member to join the Straw Hats. Anyone that was a friend of Luffy's had to be good. Not only that, but it would be very interesting to see how Luffy would react to having his old friend back in his life. No doubt that he would be the same as he was now, but when it came to someone he had known much longer than his own crew was something. Maybe things would be different between them. Maybe Luffy would act in a totally different way when she was around. At that last thought, he chuckled. _Luffy is definitely not gonna change just because he's got his best friend in his life again_, he told himself. He would definitely be much happier to have Catherine as a part of his crew, but changing his ways was certainly not a part of the captain's "to-do" list.

The swordsman smiled. He wanted to meet Catherine, too, see what she was like after growing up with a guy like Luffy. However, it suddenly rose one question in his mind...

Looking back up at the captain, Zoro could not help but ask, "I'm okay with having a new crew mate, Luffy, but how are we supposed to know what she looks like when you're the only one who has ever seen her before?"

The confident smile that was once on Luffy's face changed to one of realization, and then to one of horror.

"Oh no! None of you know what Catherine looks like!" He exclaimed moments before jumping off the figurehead and onto the hardwood floor of the ship. "I gotta let everyone know before we get to the island, just in case she's there!"

Before Zoro could say anything else, Luffy was already running down the steps, calling for the entire crew to meet up in the kitchen for an important meeting. Shaking his head and sighing for the third time, Zoro pushed himself off the railing and followed the captain's frantic orders. Something told him that today was going to be a rather odd day not just for him but for everyone on board.

**_Half An Hour Later..._**

The Straw Hats arrived at the island with enough time to get the supplies they needed and leave, not wanting to arose suspicion from the inhabitants. Just to be safe, they sailed a litle further down from the docks to keep themselves hidden from sight. Luffy was the first one to run off the ship, quickly looking around for the first place that sold some kind of meat to help aid his grumbling stomach. It did not take long for Nami to scold him, telling him to remain near the ship for just a moment longer before he went storming into the town and causing a scene like he always did.

It did not take long for Luffy to gather the crew and inform them about their possible new crew mate Catherine. No one rejected the idea at all, but instead liked it (more so Sanji, seeing as how another girl would apart of the crew). Since the captain did not have any pictures of said girl, he decided to use the easiest method: drawing a close image of what she could have looked like. Unfortunately, as the crew soon realized, his artistic skills were the worst they had ever seen in their lives. The way he depicted her was how he remembered her as a child, which did not give them much to off of in the first place since ten years had passed. Nevertheless, Luffy tried his best to show a near image of what she looked like then in an attempt to match up with someone who may have been similar. As mentioned before, his artistic skills in drawing were mortifying, and the images just went to prove that point altogether.

The image he drew was a rather crudely drawn image of what was presumed to be the young girl that was Catherine. The body proportions were off entirely, as the head was a bit small and her limbs were rather thin and lanky. Her hair was possibly in a bun along with two chopsticks, which looked a lot like giant poles stabbing into her hair. The outfit was, according to Luffy, supposed to be a kimono, but it resembled a dress with a large sash around the waist plus a giant bow sticking out from behind the back. The eyes were also poorly drawn, as they looked a lot like purple masses just slapped onto the face. It had no nose, as he forgot to draw one, and the picture was smiling, as if it was happy with the way it looked. Sadly, the other crew mates did not exactly agree with what it might have been thinking. Despite the "hard work" that was put into the drawing, they settled on just asking the locals if they knew anything about her while getting the supplies they needed before heading out to the next island.

Once the crew was ready to head into town, Luffy was one of the first to go running into town, followed closely by Usopp. The others decided to take their time, knowing they would eventually find the three eventually. The town appeared to be bustling with people, though it was not enough to really crowd the dirt streets. It seemed to be a rather peaceful town, with people smiling and laughing as if all the worlds problems did not exist. There did not seem to be any wanted posters up, or at least of the Straw Hat Pirates, so their identities were safe for the time being. However, the captain of said crew was much more hungry than worried about getting caught by civilians. Without the presence of the marines or other pirates that may have wanted to fight them, entering the town and getting out would be smooth sailing. Then again, this was Nami who had said that. Luffy, on the other hand, was busy hanging over the side of the ship as if he were sea sick and groaning about how hungry he was.

Speaking of being hungry, the first place that caught the captain's eye was a bar, which only meant that food was available (most importantly, meat). He wasted no time in running toward it, slowing down only briefly to open the doors and go inside. A wide grin was plastered on his face, giggling uncontrollably, before finding a seat that was closest to the door. Usopp had taken a seat across from him, waiting expectantly for a waiter to come take their orders. While they waited, the sniper could not help but ask about the girl that was once friends with Luffy.

"So, Luffy," he spoke, leaning on the table at the excited looking captain, who looked at him upon hearing his name, "you say that girl lived with you back in your village."

"Yup," Luffy replied, looking up at the ceiling. "She knew Yasopp, too. In fact, I think one of her family members is sailing with Shanks, too, but I don't remember who it was."

"Really? She knew my father, too?" Usopp questioned, earning a nod from Luffy. He was surprised that the captain's friend even associated herself with pirates at such a young age, especially for a young girl (not that there was anything wrong with it), but that fact that she knew his father was just an added bonus. They might actually get along. "Do remember what she was like before she left?"

Luffy looked at Usopp for a moment, as if going back to his past to remember Catherine, before smiling.

"Well, I know when we first met, she was really quiet and nervous," he explained, leaning back in his seat. "I wasn't really sure why she was like that, so I asked her." He chuckled. "She said it was because she didn't know me, so I introduced myself. After that, we became friends." He took off his straw hat and looked at it, his gaze turning a bit distant as his smile remained clear. "We went on a lot of adventures together, looking for secret hiding spots, and causing a bit of trouble to keep the town on their toes. We even talked about our dreams, how I wanted to become a pirate and how she wanted to become the world's greatest ninja despite her pirate blood."

"Hold on just a second!" Usopp interrupted him, earning a confused look from Luffy. "She's a ninja? I mean, a real one?"

"That's right," Luffy replied, putting his hat back on his head. "Her mom was a part of a family of ninjas..." He thought for a moment. "I believe it was the...My...Myu...something."

Usopp's jaw dropped out of what appeared to be fear.

"You mean the Myuga clan?!" He exclaimed in a low tone, earning a grin from Luffy.

"Yeah, that's it!" He moved his hands behind his head. "It was that clan, the Myuga clan, that her mom was born into. And Catherine's a part of it!"

Usopp sat back in his seat.

"I heard that clan resides in the Grand Line, separate from the rest of the world." He said in an almost absent yet fearful tone, looking down at the table. "No one has ever seen or heard from that clan in years. The only thing people who have been to those islands have gotten were books and trinkets as gifts." He looked back at Luffy. "It makes me wonder why her mother would leave the island and make her home in your village."

"Beats me," Luffy answered honestly. "But to me, that doesn't matter." Then, he smiled. "What matters is she gonna join my crew, and we can live our dream of finding the One Piece together!"

"Excuse me." Both boys looked up at a young waitress who had stopped by the table; she had to have been no older than Nami. Her blue eyes were filled with curiosity. "I don't mean to be a bother, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." She paused briefly. "If you don't mind me asking, are you two talking about Catherine Myuga?"

The mere mentioning of Catherine's name perked them both up in an instant, especially Luffy.

"Yeah, we are," the captain answered, "but how do you know who she is?"

The waitress' response was both unexpected and exhilarating for Luffy: "Well, I know her because she's lives here, on the island. She's been here for the past ten years."

The eyes of the sniper and the captain widened in shock and surprise, though Luffy had to have been more surprised than Usopp. Catherine was _here_? On the island that they had docked on at least twenty minutes ago? He did not waste anytime in getting up from his seat, looking at the confused waitress with look that morphed a serious look and a look of...happiness?

"Where is she? Do you know?" He asked quickly. The waitress seemed nervous to answer the question, unsure as to what his intentions were. "I'm Catherine's friend. I've known her since she was a little girl. We talked about finding the One Piece together before she disappeared ten years ago!"

The woman's eyes widened briefly; she could see the truth behind Luffy's every word, letting her know that she could trust him. Without hesitating any further, she looked to the door and said, "Well, she shouldn't be very far from here. She actually just left about an hour ago. She lives just up the hill with her caretaker - H-hey! Where are you going?!"

Luffy disregarded the rest of the words that came out of her mouth as he sprinted out of the bar, leaving both her and Usopp behind and ignoring their calls. The thought of seeing Catherine again plagued his mind, and if seeing her this soon was true then there was no time to lose. Bursting through the doors, he rushed out into the middle of the street, passing by the crew members that were just a minute away from going inside the very bar he came out of. He stood up straight, looking in the direction of the docks before looking in the opposite direction.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" He heard Chopper ask him, his tone worried.

"You look a little frantic," said Sanji. "Did something happen?"

"She's here!" Luffy answered, scanning through the crowd in an attempt to find anyone that may have fit the description of Catherine.

Before anyone had time to ask him anything else, his eyes immediately fell upon a girl in the far off distance, standing near one of the shops selling unknown produce and observing something of interest. Her hair was blue, so blue it was enough to mirror the night sky, and she stood up straight and tall. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue jacket with her sleeves reaching her elbows. Her pants matched the jacket, and she had scandals on her feet. After a moment, the girl turned around to look at the man that was with her, a big burly man who appeared to be in his forties. However, Luffy paid little attention to him, as he was much more focused on the girl. His eyes widened even more as he caught sight of the girl's purple eyes, so innocent and full of life. Her smile was genuine, as well, and it was a trait that felt welcoming and kind. It did not take Luffy long to see the familiar young girl that he grew up with, only for him to gasp.

"THERE SHE IS!" He exclaimed out loud seconds before sprinting into her direction.

"LUFFY, WAIT A MINUTE!" Zoro tried to stop him, attempting to grab a hold of his shirt but missing by just a few centimeters.

"Get back here, you idiot!" Nami called him. However, Luffy completely ignored them and kept making his way to whoever she was. "What the Hell is he doing?!" The navigator questioned out loud.

"She's here, you guys!" The remaining crew members looked over at Usopp, who burst through the door just a few moments later.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro questioned.

"Catherine is here!" Usopp went on to explain. "The waitress that was in the bar said that Catherine has been here for the past ten years!"

"No kidding," Sanji responded, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"What a coincidence that she would be here on this, let alone for the past ten years," said Robin, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the captain still running in the direction of who she presumed was Catherine. "I can't see why the captain wouldn't be this excited.

Zoro looked back at him, noting just how close he was at that point, before saying, "Yeah, well, I think he's a little too excited to see her," He pointed in his direction, "because I don't think he's gonna stop to just say hi."

The moment that the entire crew had looked in Luffy's direction, all they could see was Luffy suddenly tackling the girl to the ground. Before that happened, both of them could be heard as clear as day, grabbing the attention of everyone that was nearby, giving them the impression that everyone knew they were there and they were making a good impression.

"CATHERINE!"

"_KYAAAAA!_"


	4. Unanticipated Reunion

**_Five Minutes Ago..._**

_**Catherine's POV**_

I scanned over the fruits that the market had for sale, remembering how were were running low on the oranges after having eaten them after training. The shopkeeper said that the fruit was just sent in today, giving me the impression that they had to be the freshest kind of oranges. It made me smile a bit more. The fresher they were, the better they tasted. That was what I always said. I remembered Mallorie informing me that buying anymore food was a bit ridiculous, since we had enough food at home to last a while, but the oranges were more for myself than anything. It was as Monroe always said; if it was bought for oneself, then it should not be a problem. I found myself giggling at those words as I picked up another orange to observe and compare it to the other, deciding to pick up the ones I thought were the best. It was while I was comparing them that I did not notice Monroe come up from behind me and laugh.

"Are ya seriously doin' that?" He questioned with a grin on his face. "You've picked up a lot o' useless habits from Mallorie."

Shaking my head, I set down the first orange and looked at him, smiling warmly as I handed him the orange.

"It's to make sure that it's okay to eat, Monroe," I explained as he took the orange, turning back around to pay the man. "Not that I don't trust you, sir."

"Not to worry, Catherine," the man replied with a smile of his own. "Better to be safe than sorry, that's what I say."

I giggled nodded in agreement before Monroe and I started making our way to the next shop, which was right next to it.

"I don't see why you laugh at such a ridiculous thing, Monroe." I started, looking up at him with a bit of a confused look. "I mean, what if one of those oranges was poisoned? What if someone was trying to kill you?"

He shook his head before saying, "Now answer this question. Who on this island would wanna kill me in the first place?" I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped. I could not find the right words to say without making myself look like an idiot. Unable to respond, I closed my mouth and looked over the produce that had caught my eye. "That's what I thought."

Rolling my eyes playfully, I looked at him again.

"Alright, so maybe no one would want to kill you on the island," I answered, "but who's to say that someone poisoned those oranges to kill people in general?"

"Now answer _this_ question," Monroe stated, looking down at me as if he was about to teach me a lesson. "Why would anyone poison _oranges_ in order to kill a bunch o' people? Besides, I'm sure they woulda been checked before they were sent out."

"You seem to have forgotten what the Marines are like," I pointed out. "These days they don't even care about the lives of the innocent, only about getting the things they wanted."

"Don' go sayin' that, Catherine. You know that ain't true." He told me, his voice becoming serious. "The Marines are doing all they can to protect people from pirates."

I stopped a moment, allowing him to walk ahead briefly before stopping himself.

"But you know I'm going to be a pirate, Monroe," I stated as he turned to look at me, "and I know there are pirates who there who don't mean any harm." I looked at him, eyes filled with purpose and truth. "I know it doesn't seem that way to the Marines, but I know that there are pirates out there who aren't going around pillaging villages for their own enjoyment."

Monroe just looked at me for a long moment, staring at the determined look in my eyes, before stating, "Name one."

Without hesitation, I smirked and replied with, "'Red Haired' Shanks." His eyes looked up in thought for a moment before smiling, chuckling just a bit, while I simply smirked triumphantly.

He knew I was right about Shanks, whom I had not seen in ten years since he departed from Foosha Village, at least two weeks before I ran away from the island. Monroe knew how well I remembered the red haired captain for who he was; laid back, kind, and traveled the world at a calm pace rather than rushing from one island to the next. That was the way he was most of the time, but on the day Luffy tried to stand up to those bandits I saw a side of him that made me respect him even more. It was one thing when people laughed at him, beat him down and made him into a joke, but if his friends were put in that position, there was no forgiveness coming from Shanks. What made it so surprising was when he lost his arm saving Luffy from the Sea King, he made it seem like it was no big deal at all, as if he would just live without an arm for the rest of his life, which he did. Even Harumi, my own cousin who rarely showed any signs of weakness, was bawling her eyes out over what had happened to him.

I could not help but smile even more, proud to know a man like him and proud to know that Luffy was not the only one who looked up to him.

"Alright, Catherine," Monroe suddenly spoke, bringing me back to reality. As I looked at him, he continued. "Name another one." I raised a questioning eyebrow at that question, curious as to why he would ask that. "I just wanna see who else you'd say."

Smiling once more, I crossed my arms over my chest and uttered a single name: "Monkey D. Luffy."

He blinked once as his smile faded from his lips, raising his own curious eyebrow, before asking, "Him? Are ya sure he's even a pirate?"

"Of course I know he is!" I stated as I looked over the vegetables quickly, seeing if we needed anything before we returned home. "After ten years, there's not a doubt in my mind that he's living out his dream of becoming a pirate."

"How do ya know?" He questioned, moving over to stand next to me. "We rarely get any wanted posters 'round here, and if we do it's usually just a bunch of poster of menial criminals. This island is too peaceful to be worryin' about a bunch of pirates."

"I hear rumors from passing travelers," I explained, looking over a few carrots before passing them to Monroe. "They talk about a boy with the Devil Fruit powers, powers that turned him into rubber, who defeated enemies like Morgan, Don Krieg and Arlong." I smiled as I picked up one of the tomatoes and observing it closely. "The only person I know who has that kind of strength is Luffy. After all, he did eat the Gum-Gum Fruit, which turns a person body into rubber, so the information that I heard and that little known fact make it hard not to assume it's him."

He sighed as I picked up a few more tomatoes and handed them to him.

"But they are just rumors, Catherine, ya know that, right?" He questioned. "People will come up with the craziest things for no good reason."

I looked at him again and said, "I know, and that's why I'm gonna prove it."

His brows furrowed again as I pulled out some money and paid the shopkeeper.

"How, if I may ask?"

"Simple." I turned around to face him, smiling innocently. "I'm gonna set sail and look for him myself."

His eyes widened as I started moving to the next store.

"All by yourself?" He asked, a hint of worry lacing his tone.

"Of course," I answered, observing a new variety of vegetables. "It's not like I haven't done it before."

"That's because you were running away from your island for the several weeks," he pointed out; he started to sound a bit more stern. I understood why. "I don' think it's such a good idea to go sailing by yourself, especially after the ordeal you went through."

After picking up one of the onions, I sighed and looked at him, smiling like a little girl would when asking for something that she always wanted. However, despite that possibly childish look, it was still very genuine and sweet.

"I know that, but Luffy is my best friend." I explained to him, immediately removing that childish look and replacing it with a more distant and happy one. "It might have been ten years since we last saw each other, but I know deep down that he and I are still very close friends." My face fell to the floor, smile disappearing altogether. "To think that he's out there going on all of these adventures makes me feel like a bad friend. I feel as though I abandoned him ten years ago and left him to go on adventures without me." I shrugged. "Granted, there's not a doubt in my mind that he's gathered up or is in the process of gathering a crew, but I feel like I broke a promise when I left." I looked back up at him. "If I look for him, he'll know I didn't forget about him. He'll know that I didn't forget."

He stared at me once again, that look of fatherly worry when it came to watching a little girl grow up too fast (in his mind anyway), while I sent him a look of reassurance. I knew he must have been feeling mixed emotions about letting me go on a quest to find a long lost friend, yet he knew it would have been for the best for me in the end. Going out in search of the friend I had not seen in ten years, after everything that we went through. would bring some closure in my life, let him know that our dream of finding the One Piece together was still fresh in my mind. No matter what he said, there was nothing that he could say that would change my mind. It was set in stone when I was young, when I vowed to become strong enough to protect myself against any possible enemies that would try to harm me, but it human in non-human. Still, the fact that Monroe was genuinely concerned made me feel a little better; at least I knew someone would miss me once I left.

After a moment, he sighed and turned away, running a hand through his hair as if thinking.

"Yeah...but..." He slowly started, trying to formulate the words. I set down the onion once again as he went on. "But what if...what he doesn't remember ya anymore?"

I smiled lightly, noting the genuine concern for my emotions, before as I stated, "He may not have been the brightest at times, but he certainly wouldn't forget a friend."

His head rose a little bit.

"How do ya know that?" He questioned. "How do you know he didn't forget 'bout ya?"

Before I had the chance to answer that question, a rather loud voice had suddenly called out my name, grabbing my attention immediately.

"CATHERINE!" It called out frantically, as if the person was looking for me specifically and was...happy?

Blinking, I turned to look into the direction, brows furrowing curiously and wondering who it could have been. The voice did not sound familiar to me at all, making me wonder who it could have been and how that person knew my name (if they knew me at all). However, instead of finding someone from the village that I knew, I found myself looking straight at someone running toward me at what I thought was an impossible speed. Since the person was running so fast, it was hard to really get a glimpse of his face and see what he looked like. Violet eyes widened in surprise; that person was coming straight for me. Judging from how quickly he was running, it was not hard to tell that he was not slowing down anytime soon. I would not have anytime to get out of the way! He was going to run right into me without the slightest bit of hesitation.

The only other option I had left in me: scream at the top of my lungs.

"_KYAAAAA!_"

The next thing I knew I found myself being tackled to the ground by the very same person that running toward me. However, the fall was not as harsh as I thought it would be. The person wrapped one of his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him, while the other hand fell onto my head as if keeping it from getting injured. My arms unconsciously wrapped around his torso and held on for dear life, shutting my eyes quickly and bracing for impact. I could feel myself fall to the floor, believing to have landing on my back, and sliding about a foot away from where I was once standing. My eyes remained closed more so out of fear than anything, my heart beat rapidly increasing to a point where it started to hurt. The moment we stopped sliding, however, everything around me seemed to turn quiet. The eyes of everyone in the vicinity turned to us, staring and wondering what just happened.

After taking a moment, I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times as if reassuring that I was alright. There were a few aches in minor burning sensations on my shoulders, but other than that it did not feel as though I had taken any serious damage. The arm around my waist had to have taken most of the force, but I did not really know for sure. Taking another brief moment to collect my thoughts, I slowly tried to get a glimpse of who had decided to tackle me, only to find myself lying on my back with the person straddling me and hands on either side of my head. My eyes widened out of shock as I stared up at the person, whose face now shrouded a bit in shadow because of the sun. Before I could get a single word out in an attempt to find out who the maniac was, he spoke, and any feelings of anger and confusion washed away immediately.

"Catherine! I haven't seen you in years!" The voice spoke jovially, a toothy grin forming on his lips. I blinked once as he went on. "I was wondering what had happened to you and even started looking for you!"

"W...what?" I muttered, unable to form any words.

"Well, I had recently decided to go looking for you," he stated bluntly and honestly, but his smile returned, "but I never forgot about you! Not once!"

"What...are you talking about?" I questioned slowly, blinking once.

He looked down at me for a long moment, eyeing me as if I just spoke a different language, before he sat up. The shadow that once covered much of his face vanished entirely, yet he turned away to pick something up. As he did that, I was able to look over his body to get a better understanding at who I was dealing with. The stranger wore a sleeveless red vest and short trousers, appearing to be rather comfortable in the warm weather of the island. The object that he was reaching for was unknown, but before I had the chance to look at what it was, he already picked it up and placed it on his head, covering his eyes briefly and only showing a wide grin. After a moment, the angle of the sun gave me a better look at the person and what was on his head. Once it registered, my eyes widened in surprise; it was a hat, a _straw_ hat.

"You forgot who I was, Catherine?" He questioned suddenly, his smile never leaving his face as his hand fell on his leg. "It's me! Luffy!"

Time seemed to pause briefly at the sound of that name, the blood in my face vanishing and making me feel paler than before. Just the mere mentioning of that name coming from his lips made me stare in disbelief. _No_, I told myself as I began to prop myself up on my hands, trying to get a better look at his face. _It...it can't be..._ I tried to tell myself that he was lying, that he was just messing with my head for whatever reason he had. My eyes narrowed, studying his face that was much more clear now that I had moved into a different position. He appeared to be relatively young, no older than seventeen years old, with black hair, which was partially covered by the familiar looking straw hat. His eyes were a dark color, yet it was the dark color that remembered. What really pushed my buttons was the scar on his face...just under his left eye. Unconsciously, my right hand suddenly fell upon his face, my thumb tracing over the scar very briefly before staring into his eyes again. It was then that it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, and I found it hard to breathe.

He was not lying; he was telling the truth. The boy that was sitting in front of me was really...

"L...Luffy?" I slowly asked, unable to believe what my eyes were showing me. The boy chuckled mischievously, similar to what he used to do when he was young. "Is...is it...is it really you?"

"Yup!" He replied, his own hand falling upon mine like he was used to it. It did not seem to faze him that my hand was against his cheek, _very_ much similar to what he used to do when he was a child. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

No words formed on my lips, unable to come up with anything to say in response. How have I been? After leaving the island for ten years, finding myself on an island far away from the East Blue and spending the past ten years here training to become stronger and stronger, Luffy suddenly returned to my life unexpectedly and asked me...how have I been? As if our separation did not affect him at all? It was clear that he missed me, seeing as how he tackled me to the ground and wondered where I was for the past ten years, yet something told me that he had to feel something else. Why did he not seem upset with me for leaving without giving him a reason? Why was he not crying and questioning where I went and why I left? Why was he not doing any of those things? Questions like that rose to the surface, yet I was unable to find the words. In fact, just looking at him...frightened me.

Why? It was because, for the past ten years, I was deathly afraid to face him again. I was scared to look him in the eye and explain why I chose to leave him behind, along with all of the promises we made.

After staring into his eyes for another long moment, my eyes suddenly started to close, a lightheaded feeling passing over me. It was not until I felt myself falling back that I realized that I had blacked out from the fear of seeing him again.


	5. Brief Reminiscence

**_General POV_**

It did not take long for Luffy to realize that Catherine was suddenly falling backward, eyes closing shut for an unknown reason. He reacted quickly by wrapping his arms around her torso and holding her up. Unfortunately, her head was left to hang like a rag doll for only a brief moment when he did that, which he noticed. He changed that moving her head and placing it on his own shoulder. She had passed out all of a sudden, and he did not seem to understand why.

"Are you tired or something, Catherine?" He questioned as if he would get a response. It was clear that he was oblivious to the fact that she had passed out simply at the sight of him. For that reason, she said nothing as she lied comfortably on his shoulder, her breathing returning normal as if any tension or stress that took over her had vanished entirely. Luffy blinked again. "Maybe you are tired..."

"Luffy!" He looked over his shoulder to find his navigator running up the hill and toward the crowd that surrounded him. She was followed by Zoro and a rather pissed off looking Sanji - no doubt because of Luffy tackling a woman to the ground. Nami looked a little upset as well, but the hint of concern said otherwise. "What the Hell were you thinking? Are you okay?"

"If there's so much as a scratch on her, Luffy, I'll kick your ass!" Sanji shouted. The swordsman was seconds away from retorting a comeback, but decided against it. When it came to Sanji and women, it was really hard to keep him in a normal mindset.

The dark haired captain grinned widely.

"I found Catherine!" He told her just as they stopped a few feet from him. He, then, moved himself out of the straddling position, keeping Catherine's head close to him, in order to prove his point. "See? She's sleeping right now, so you'll have to wait until she wakes up."

Nami did not seem as enthusiastic as he thought she would when she saw the unconscious girl lying in his arms.

"It's the middle of the day, Luffy, and she was wide awake before you came along," she pointed out. "You must have knocked her out when you tackled her to the ground."

The captain's brows blinked before looking back down at Catherine again.

"Ooh..." He muttered. "Oops..."

"Is that really all you've got to say to tackling and knocking out a beautiful woman like her?!" Sanji snapped, earning a rather blank look from Luffy.

While all of that went on, Monroe silently watched from the sidelines, watching the whole thing play out in front of his eyes. The incident that took place just a moment ago replayed at least a few more times before he came to the realization that it was real. Catherine was jumped by a complete stranger; that was what he thought before he said his name out loud. _That boy right there_, he thought to himself, blinking as he stared at Catherine's unconscious form, _is the same Luffy that Catherine talked about when she first got here?_ Just hearing that name come from both his mouth and hers made him pause for the longest time. It was hard to believe that the very boy had actually come here and found her after ten long years of being separated from one another. Granted, it seemed as though the meeting was rather unexpected; still, it was surprising to find that he was eating his own words.

It was then that a thought had crossed his mind, a thought he never really anticipated. He did not realize that, at some point in time, she would have made the decision to leave the island in search of her childhood friend, keeping the promise they made so many years ago. In this case, Luffy actually came to the island and found her instead. With that in mind, he came to another realization, a realization that would inevitably result in Catherine's leaving the island; Luffy would ask her to join his crew the moment she woke up. In fact, Monroe did not even think Luffy would ask her to join the crew right off the bat, but immediately say she was a part of it no questions asked. Judging by how happy he was to see her, the man knew that Luffy did not forget about any of the promises made in the past, especially since the straw hat still remained atop his head - Catherine explained that he wore a straw hat as a promise to Shanks, a promise to surpass him and become King of the Pirates.

A small smile formed on his lips. _She had to grow up sometime_, he told himself. _And I guess that starts today..._

"Hey, straw hat," he found his voice, grabbing the boy's attention immediately.

"Hmm?" He responded.

"Catherine said you're name was Luffy, right?" Monroe questioned, pretending as if he had a problem hearing the name.

Luffy blinked once before answering, "Yeah, but how do you know who she is?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, smiling very much in a fatherly way.

"Don't worry," he assured him, "I'm a good friend of hers. And I think we gotta talk."

**_Some Time Later..._**

**_Catherine POV_**

Violet eyes slowly began to open as I awoke from what I believed was unconsciousness. I did not feel as light-headed as I thought I would, however, which assured me that I was not knocked out. Still, it did feel like I was waking up from a nightmare or a rather vivid dream. Groaning, I slowly sat up, feeling something fall off my body. When I looked down, I realized that it was my blanket rolling off my shoulders, making me realize that I was in my room. I blinked once before looking around my room, staring at all of the objects that I left in my room before leaving the house in what I believed was a dream. Nothing seemed to be out of place, as far as I could tell, and it looked as though I had just woke up from said dream.

As I thought that, a frown fell upon my lips. _It...certainly didn't feel like a dream..._ I thought to myself, gripping the blanket a bit while nibbling on my lower lip. The feeling I felt seemed so realistic and vivid that it was hard to really consider it a "dream." Nothing in the world seemed out of place, out of turn or unrealistic. The time lapse did not seem to go by that quickly, since it usually felt like it was a short amount of time that would pass instead hours at time. However, I was no expert on the human mind, so it was hard for me to tell what was a dream and what was reality. With that said, it was hard to choose between the both of them, especially after seeing the one person whom I had not seen in ten long years tackle me to the ground and claim to have been wondering where I was. I saw Monkey D. Luffy while he usual grin plastered on his face like a child in a candy store.

I blinked once more, pursing my lips briefly, as I replayed that moment in my head, the moment I found myself staring up at the familiar straw hat that once belonged to Shanks. It was the same hat that had been passed on to Luffy, who vowed to become King of the Pirates and surpass Shanks' crew. The sight of that same boy made me question how real the supposed dream was.

While looking down at the blanket where my lap would be, a soft knocking was heard on my bedroom door. I looked at it as quickly as I could, staring at it for a long moment before leaping out of bed and running to it. Throwing it open, I found myself looking up at the familiar face of Monroe, who blinked at the sudden opening of the door.

"Monroe!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You're here! Thank goodness!"

"Uh..." He was speechless, but did place a hand on my back as I pulled back. "O' course I'm here, Cathy. Where else would I go?"

"No! I mean...that's good, but that's not what I mean," I spoke, turning away to walk back in my room in a frantic state. "What I mean is that you're here now."

"Why's that?" Monroe inquired, entering my room and shutting the door behind him.

I took a moment to form the words in my head before I looked at him again, crossing my arms over our chest.

"Well...where to begin..." I muttered. After a brief moment, I sighed. "I had this...this really weird dream last night." He raised an eyebrow curiously, but did not say a word. "Well, this dream wasn't like the usual dream I've had before. You know, the one about reliving the night I ran away from my home." He nodded once. "Instead, this one seemed really realistic, as if I was actually living through it. You see," I started to pace while I began explaining, "I woke up from the very dream I mentioned, and you were there talking to me like you always do every morning. After you went to check on breakfast, I took a shower and got dressed. That was around the time that Mallorie came up with breakfast. Before I left, she asked me a question. She asked if I remembered Luffy, which I said yes, naturally. She said that she found something that we seldom get, but I didn't get the chance to find out because you were calling me.

"Later on, you and I were in the village looking for groceries. We stopped by the bar to see Kiki for a little bit to see how she was doing before heading out to buy more food." I suddenly began rambling. "We spent most of the time talking to people while visiting the shops, and about an hour later we started talking about me becoming a pirate, to one day set sail and find Luffy so I could join his crew and find the One Piece. We talked about that, and you were really worried that he wouldn't remember me and I would get hurt, but before I could answer, I was tackled to the ground." I turned to look at him. "Take a wild guess at who it was?"

Monroe chuckled, noting the childishness that suddenly came over for a brief moment.

"I'm gonna say..." He pretended to think for a long moment, before smirking. "Shanks?" I sent him a dull look, knowing he was messing with me, while he started to laugh. "Ya know I'm jokin', and I know yer talkin' 'bout yer friend Luffy."

"Yes!" I exclaimed happily. "It was him! At first, I wasn't really sure if it was real, because his face was covered by shadows. But eventually, he moved into the light, and I saw his face." I sat down on my bed, sighing and smiling warmly. "It was really him. I couldn't believe my own eyes. After ten years, I was actually looking into the eyes of my best friend." Unfortunately, the smile slowly faded from my face. "Sadly, I seemed to pass out, and...well, I woke up." I looked up at him again, noting the missing smile from his face. "It was so real, and...it's depressing to know that it wasn't real. At the same time, though, it's a little relieving."

"Relieving?" Monroe questioned, raising a questioning eyebrow. "But I thought you always wanted to see him?"

I shrugged.

"Well, of course I wanna see him," I replied. "But...I'm not really sure what to say to him. He said he never forgot me in the dream, but when I think about it...I wonder what he's really thinking...?" Monroe was silent for the longest time, eyeing me as if I was missing something entirely. I took notice to the look, brows furrowing curiously and with a hint of worry behind my expression. After another moment, I shrunk back a little. "Monroe? What's with that look, Monroe? You're making it seem like I did something wrong."

He sighed once another few seconds, shaking his head. Then, he smiled at me.

"I was just gonna tell you that you should ask Luffy what he thinks about seeing you again after so long," he pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone.

My eyes widened as I slowly stood up.

"Wait...he's...my..." I slowly spoke, unable to form a sentence clearly.

Instead of allowing me to finish, Monroe nodded once and said, "That's right. You weren' dreamin' at all." He threw his thumb over his shoulder to the door. "In fact, he's waitin' downstairs with Mallorie and his pirate crew. They're all waitin' for you."

I blinked, my mouth ajar slightly, as I continued to stare at him. _It...wasn't...a dream?_ I questioned, unable to comprehend what was happening at that point anymore. Luffy was really here on the island, sitting downstairs and waiting for me to see him again. The tackling to the ground was not some crazy fantasy over the desire to see him again; it was real. It was as real as it would get. On the inside, I felt ecstatic, overjoyed over the fact that I was given the second chance to see him again. Not only that, but I was given the second chance to finally be a part of his crew, a crew he worked hard to bring together from all over, and keep the promises we made so long ago. Those days when we were children came flooding back to me, filling me with the days of our adventures and recalling the days that our futures were set into stone for the rest of our lives.

However, despite those positive feelings that filled my being and making me feel like a child again, I was also filled with the tense feelings of doubt, guilt and shame. Reason being was that he would wonder why I had left him behind in the first place. If he asked that question, I would not know what to say. How could I tell him that I left him behind because I had truly believed that I was going to be murdered by my own brother? How could explain that I was trying to save my own life and live on, to keep the promises we made and make sure that remained alive? There would be no clear way for me to explain everything that happened, and there was no way to truly know how he felt after being separated for all this time. That is, unless I asked him myself and figured it out on my own. Still, doing so would be a bit nerve-racking, as the belief that he would be upset hurt me a lot more than not knowing the truth.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair.

"I...What...should I do...?" I slowly asked out loud, wanting to earn a response from Monroe.

I sensed him stare at me for the longest time before answering, "Ya know what ya gotta do. I don' gotta tell ya that."

Saying those few words to me seemed reassuring in a way, and it was enough to push the negative feelings away and stand on my own two feet. I could still feel something tugging at the back of my shirt just a little, telling me - more like begging me - to stay in my room and keep myself hidden, prevent any awkward situations. However, the thought of reuniting with Luffy after the long absence from his life drove me forward. In fact, it made me sprint toward the door, pass Monroe, and throw the wooden obstacle out of the way. I chose to quickly turn toward the stairs nearby, not wanting to seem too eager to see him. Then again, it _had_ been ten years since I saw him, so sprinting down the stairs would certainly not look too bad on my part. Nevertheless, I tried to play it off as cool as I possibly could as I started making my way down the steps and into the living room.

Reaching the bottom step, I looked over into the living room in a seemingly cautious room, only to look upon the group that I presumed was Luffy's crew. It was a...rather odd group to say the least, a group of about seven, but it was not odd enough to keep me away. The first person I saw was Mallorie, who was sitting in her usual chair - closest to the front door so that she would answer it no matter what. Sitting closest to her was a tall, slender looking man with blond hair, keeping some of it over his left eye. I could still tell that his eyes were, without a doubt, a grey-blue shade. He wore a black, double breasted suit with a tie and a blue buttoned shirt; no doubt it was long-sleeved. He seemed to be idolizing Mallorie and calling her all of most endearing terms he could think off, which Mallorie seemed uninterested in and focused on Luffy, who was eating food that was placed on the table for everyone. His back was facing me, so he did not get the chance to see me. The rest of the crew mates were focused on her, unaware that I had come down.

"So tell me, Luffy," she spoke, completely disregarding the swooned blond. The dark haired boy turned his head up to look at her. "You say you've known Catherine for ten years, correct?"

"Mmhmm, that's right," Luffy responded, his mouth full of food. Mallorie simply smiled, not even caring for what would have been considered rude. "She took off ten years ago for some reason, but I never really learned why."

I swallowed hard at the memories, but pushed them away as Mallorie asked, "Do you ever wonder what her reason could have been? I mean, it must have been important if she was willing to leave at such a young age."

He stopped eating and thought for a moment, swallowing his food in process.

"I did, but..." He looked at her again; even I could tell he was wearing a grin, "that doesn't matter anymore."

"Why would you say that, Luffy?" I looked over to find a girl, probably two years older than myself, with short orange hair and light brown eyes. She had on a short-sleeved, dark blue shirt, shorts and sandals. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was giving Luffy a confused looked. "Why wouldn't reasons for leaving matter to you? It had to be serious if she was more than willing to leave."

He looked at her this time.

"Well," he started, "it's cause she's here now. She had a reason for leaving the island back then, and it had to be important." Then, he grinned. "But now that's she's here, it doesn't matter anymore!"

"I don't think you should say that in front of her, Luffy." I glanced over to spot a muscular man with lightly tanned skin and cropped green hair. Three gold earrings were on his left earlobe, but I was not sure if it was the same for the other side. A black bandanna was wrapped around his left bicep. He was sitting up against the wall near the orange haired girl, while three swords lied right next to him. He had on a plain white shirt with three undone buttons at his collar and a green haramaki. He had on black trousers tucked into black boots. "Her reasons for leaving might make her sensitive. And you not caring would make it seem like you didn't care about her."

"Oh, what do you know about women being, moss-head?" The blond questioned. "You've never even met the girl, let alone know anything."

The swordsman glared at him briefly.

"You're one to talk. You barely even know her," he pointed out.

"At least I'll have more of a chance at learning more about her than you," the blond stated, sighing moments later. "I can only imagine what went through that poor girl's head, deciding to leave her friends and behind. She must have been so upset."

Mallorie looked at the upset blond, smirking briefly.

"Well, if you'd like to learn more about her, why don't you just ask?" Then, she suddenly looked at me, smiling in a motherly manner. "She _is_ standing right there."

My eyes widened as all the heads turned to look at me all at once, including Luffy. Blinking, I felt my face heat up out of embarrassment, using my index finger to scratch my face lightly, while the captain's and the blond's faces lit up.

"Catherine!" Luffy exclaimed, getting to his feet and running over to me. "You're finally up!" Before he had the chance to approach me, he was pulled back by the blond, who held onto his vest in order to keep him him back.

"Don't go tackling her again, you idiot!" He snapped. "You might knock her out for the second time today, and she's had enough of that for one day!"

"But Sanji," Luffy whined, stopping to look over his shoulder to look at him, "I haven't seen her in years!"

The blond, who was now identified as Sanji, sighed while placing a cigarette on his lips.

"There's a little thing called giving a hug," he explained, releasing his captain. "I think it'll be better for her."

I could not help but giggle at the expression Luffy had given to Sanji - it looked pouty, like he had something taken away from him. I could easily tell that he was trying to keep me from supposedly being knocked out again. Little did he realize that it was because of the shock of seeing Luffy after ten years that made me pass out. Still, it was nice to know that he was thinking of my well being.

Moving my hands behind my back, I smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you for being so considerate, Sanji, but it's quite alright." I shrugged. "It had been a long time since Luffy and I saw each other."

The moment I finished my sentence, I found Sanji standing next to me, hearts in his eyes.

"She already knows my name~!" He exclaimed jovially, as if my learning of his name was an honor. "It's such a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady like yourself. Luffy spoke about you, but it's much better to see you in person!"

Feeling flattered, I could not help but blush. He barely knew me, and he was already giving me compliments. It was rather odd, yet it was something that I could not help but appreciate.

"How sweet," I said to him. "I didn't realize Luffy allowed a gentleman to be a part of his crew."

"Don't get your hopes up, Catherine." I looked over to find the green haired swordsman, his arms crossed and a straight expression. "He does this to all of the women he meets."

Sanji turned to glare at him quickly.

"Shut up, Zoro!" He shouted angrily. "I'm making an effort at becoming her friend." The swordsman, named Zoro, simply rolled his eyes and shook his head, saying nothing more on the matter.

"I didn't realize calling her endearing names was a way to make a friend." Sanji and I looked toward the floor where Luffy was sitting moments ago to find a slim, somewhat dark skinned teenager with medium length dark curly hair and a long nose. He had on an olive green plaid bandanna on his head, along with a pair of goggles sitting atop his head. He had on brown overalls with a white sash, though he did not have a shirt under it. A yellow satchel lied next to him, carrying his things wherever he went. "It sounds like you're trying to do something else."

I thought I heard Zoro say something along the lines of "Someone gets it," which earned a glare from Sanji once again, only this time he chose not to say anything. Wordlessly, I looked over at Luffy, who had moved to stand next to me. After realizing that I was looking at him again, he grinned that familiar smile and draped one arm over my shoulders.

"It's good thing you're here now, Catherine," he told me, placing his other hand on his hip. "I'm sure you can tell that this is my crew!"

"Oh, I knew it was them the second I reached the bottom step," I explained, looking over everyone briefly before looking at him again. "I would say that I'm surprised you've gotten this many by now, but it has been a while since we spoke." I looked back at everyone once more, taking note to that motherly stare coming from Mallorie. "No doubt that there have been quite a few adventures that you've gone on."

Just as I mentioned the word "adventure," I heard him gasp. When I looked at him, I noticed the jovial look come over his face before he turned to look at me, his hands falling on my shoulders.

"I gotta tell you about the adventures I've been on with these guys!" He almost shouted in an ecstatic manner. "There's been so many that I don't even know where to begin!"

Smiling warmly over the fact that it was just like old times, I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Well, why not start from the beginning?" I suggested. "When you first left the island in search of a pirate crew?" Before he had the chance to start telling his story, a knock suddenly pulled me away from the happy moment. I turned around to look at it briefly before moving toward it. When I opened the door, I found one of the elderly shopkeepers standing in my doorway, out of breath from having run all the way up to the house. "Shiro! What are you doing here?" I questioned curiously. "And why are you so out of breath? Did something happen?"

He took a moment to catch his breath, locks of brown hair shielding his face. My hand fell on his shoulder moments before he used the door frame for support. By the time he had finally caught enough of his breath to speak, he was leaning against it.

"C...Catherine..." He slowly started, making sure that he could speak clearly enough for me to understand.

"What happened?" I questioned again. "Is everyone okay?"

He nodded quickly, giving me a brief sense of relief. Keyword: brief.

"Everyone is...everyone's okay," he informed me. "But...but...they're coming."

Brows furrowed as I took hold of his shoulders.

"Who is?"

Inhaling, he looked me dead in the eye with fatigued blue eyes, muttered a single word that set the tension in place, keeping it there for much too long:

"...Marines..."


	6. The Marines

My face felt as though it had turned paler than porcelain at the sound of that single word, taking a few steps away from the shopkeeper in order to process what he had just said. The Marines were here on the island? Did they found out about Luffy's crew stopping by and came to arrest them? _Highly unlikely_, I quickly told myself. They had only just arrived today; it was not like they had been here the whole time because I would have at least seen them by now. With that in mind, it made me wonder. How would the Marines know about them being here without at a few days to arrive? Had they been told today, it would have given them time to prepare and set sail for this island. It had to be another reason, a reason so important they would send a fleet here to find out just what it was. Not only that, but they had to have been informed days before.

Question was...what was that reason?

Calming my nerves, I looked at the man with a straight face and asked, "Do you know what they want or why they're here?"

The shopkeeper looked at me, a look of fear still clear in his eyes.

"After they landed on the docks," he started, "they requested that they see you."

"Me?" I muttered, brows furrowing as I crossed my arms over my chest. "That's weird..."

"What would they want with Catherine?" Mallorie questioned, taking the question right out of my mouth. "She hasn't done anything wrong to anyone, especially enough to bring their attention here."

The old man looked at her as my head lowered briefly.

"That's what we were trying to say to them, let them know that she's just innocent person," he informed her. Then, he sighed. "But they still asked for her. They didn't even bother to listen to our pleas."

"It has to be something important if they came all the way out here looking for Catherine," I heard Sanji say. "Still, after seeing the people in this town and based on how long she's been here, it's safe to say she wouldn't do anything to harm anyone."

Pursing my lips, I sighed and lifted my head, keeping my arms crossed over my chest. The Marines really enjoyed going after normal, innocent, every day people instead of hardened criminals; I figured that out some time ago. The last time they came here was because it was reported that someone was caught stealing money from the Marines, and their head was demanded. Turned out that it was a false accusation and someone had framed the man, but it did not change the fact that the Marines were much more worried about supposed theives than actual threats to the world, pirate or not. That being said, something told me that it was a misunderstanding, and that someone was trying to frame me for something menial. If that happened to be the case, then I was certainly not going to be happy with whoever was trying to pull a fast one on people.

After a moment, I smiled confidently, earning a look from the old man.

"What is it, Catherine?" He asked.

"If we all know that I haven't done anything wrong," I started explaining, walking past him and out the door, "then it shouldn't be a problem explaining that fact. Which is what I'm going to do."

"But Catherine, wait!" I stopped to look over my shoulder, spotting the nervous looking Mallorie appear in the doorway. "How do you know they'll believe you right off the bat? What if they use force and don't give you a chance to explain?"

Smiling more, I gave her a reassuring gaze and answered, "They'll have to give me a chance. Without proof, there's no way they can accuse me of any crimes. And if they won't give that to me..." My reassuring smile turned to a mischievous grin, "well, then I'll give myself one."

"Catherine..." She muttered slowly, yet said nothing more to stop me. She knew that there would be no stopping me; I suppose I got some of my stubbornness from Monroe.

I looked to the old man once again and asked, "How many ships are there? Were you able to see?"

It did not take long for him to answer with, "Just two. One on the docks, and the other out at sea awaiting commands from the Marine Lieutenant."

My lips pursed again. _I hope they don't think I'm that much of a threat_, I told myself. _It's not like I'm one of Arlong's fishmen._ After a moment, I smiled again, putting on a confident front. "Well, it shouldn't take long to take care of this possible misunderstanding." I looked forward again and continued to move forward. "I should be back soon."

I could still feel Mallorie's worried eyes follow me as I made my way down the hill, and I knew that she was scared for me. However, despite her motherly instincts, even I could feel my hands shaking a little bit. I did not have to deal with Marines on my own, especially when they were here for me in the first place. Nevertheless, I told myself that it was all a misunderstanding, and that everything would be explained. Still, I could not help but feel as though something bad was going to happen when I got down there.

**_General POV_**

Luffy watched carefully as Catherine made her descent back into the village once again, a confident stride left in her wake as she started to disappear from view. Even though it was clear to him that she was confident and could, without a doubt, handle what was to come, he could tell that she seemed unnerved by the situation. She looked to have felt nervous and, much like Mallorie, a bit scared for what may happen should things not got as smoothly as she would have liked. He could not blame her for feeling that way; the fact that the Marines were looking for her made her nervous, and that was probably because she had never had them on her tail like he and his crew did every waking moment. He was tempted to follow after his best friend, keep an eye on her and make sure that she would be alright on her own with his help or the help of his crew mates. However, something deep down told him that she wanted to settle the situation on her own, as if she had her pride to keep in tact.

That thought only made his head lower, covering his face with the rim of his hat. He knew that pride was not an issue for Catherine, and just considering it made him feel a little stupid. Even when they were little, it was clear that Catherine cared little about her pride, so long as people knew who she was externally and, for her friends, internally. She did not need everyone's respect, but only the respect of the people who mattered to her. That included himself, his crew mates (now that she had met them, there was no doubt she considered them a friend), the villagers, Mallorie and her husband Monroe. They were the only people she had cared about, and a little altercation with a few Marines was not going to make her any less of a person so long as those people knew just _who_ she was, not what she was made out to be.

After a moment, he felt himself grinning. Even if he knew that Catherine would be fine on her own, it would be interesting to see how far she had come in the past ten years.

"That grin of yours tells me you've got a plan," he heard Zoro say, letting the captain know that he had taken notice to the grin. The others looked at him as well just as Luffy looked at the swordsman.

"I think we should go down there to help," he stated.

"W-wait, you're not serious, are you?" Mallorie quickly spoke, approaching the dark haired teenager. "You actually want to go down there yourselves?"

"Yup, that's right." Luffy answered her, placing a hand on his hat.

"Sometimes, the presence of Marines is a really bad sign," Zoro stated, getting to his feet while picking up his blades. "Whether it's caused by them or someone working for them, it never turns out well in the end."

Mallorie, still a bit confused, looked at the swordsman.

"But...but you'll be putting yourself in danger!" She tried to tell him as well as the others. "You're wanted criminals! If you're seen here, they'll arrest you." Her head lowered a bit. "You'll be putting yourself in danger, and for what? People that you don't even know?"

"That's right," Luffy answered her, making her look at him once again. "Just because we don't know any of you doesn't mean that Catherine doesn't. She cares about everyone in this village, especially you and Monroe." His grin grew slightly. "In a way, she considers you her treasure, and will do anything to keep you safe. Whether these Marines are here for her or for the whole village, she'll make sure they're safe. If she's willing to do anything and everything to make sure everyone is okay, then we'll do the same." He chuckled. "After all, she's one of us now, whether she knows that or not, and we're not gonna leave her here to fight battles on her own anymore."

Mallorie quietly stared at the straw hat captain in complete awe, surprised and shocked by Luffy's unyielding decision and determination to stay and fight alongside Catherine without even asking to do so. Despite knowing no one in town before today, he made the silent decision to remain on the island for as long as he needed to and do whatever it takes to keep it safe, whether it was from the Marines or pirates that planned to raid the village and take what they wanted. It was something Mallorie had not seen in many years since she moved here, and to be honest it made her feel a little, if not a lot, safer knowing that Luffy and his crew were there to protect them from any danger that may be on the way. Deep down, it made her smile a little, knowing that Catherine would not be alone anymore to protect the village and the people.

Not only that, but it made her a bit envious of his personality and his morals. The fact that he was more than happy to lay down his own life for his friends along with the people he or she cared about made her think back on her own life. For years, she remained on the sidelines whenever danger came around, trying to keep away from it at all costs. She prayed every day since she got on the island that everyone would remain peaceful and safe until the day she died. That was what she wanted in life, some peace and tranquility, and it was certainly one that Monroe tried to give her. However, just looking at the confident expressions of Luffy and the rest of his crew made her wonder if it was the right thing to do. There were going to be some troubling times in life, and trying to get away from that was like trying to prevent death.

After a moment, Luffy looked amongst his friends, who were more than ready to help.

"Alright, guys!" He spoke, placing his hands on his hips. "Let's go down there and help Catherine!" He looked toward the old man, who was just as surprised as Mallorie was. "Lead the way to the village. We've got a crew mate to help!"

**_Catherine's POV_**

The moment I entered the village about several minutes later, I soon realized how quickly almost everyone had gone inside, fearful of the marines that had suddenly made their presence known on the island. There were a few that remained out, but I did not really pay much attention to them. I knew they were trying not to get involved, but at the same time wanted to see what would happen. Some people were like that, and it was something that I could respect.

Instead of focusing on the people that remained outside, though, I was much more focused on the group of men standing near the entrance of the docks. From a distance, I could see the white and blue clad officers standing behind one man, who appeared to be slightly bigger than the others. The smaller officers had their hands behind their backs, awaiting orders from their commanding officer. The man in charge stood tall - about six feet in height - with slicked back dark hair, tan skin and emotionless dark eyes. He had a thick cigar hanging from his lips, as well, and did not even try to remove it from his lips every so often. His clothes made him distinguishable amongst the others, sporting his own attire to prove that point. He had on long sleeved, white button up shirt with noble-esque, blue shoulder pads. Tassels hung along the ends of each, and were a golden yellow shade. His pants were black and tucked into his boots. On his hip was a katana, while the other held a pistol. He did not seem very "royal" per say, but it was not hard to figure out that he was the Marine Lieutenant of the group.

His eyes looked at me for a moment as I stopped several meters away, waiting for him to say something. When no words came out, I decided to take the opportunity to speak for myself.

"Hello, officers," I spoke, a smile forming on my lips as I crossed my arms over my chest. "A pleasure to see men like you out and about, protecting the innocent from criminals." I was trying to pretend that I did not know what they were here for. "What brings you to our island unannounced, if I may kindly ask?"

The Marine Lieutenant continued to stare at me for a moment, smoke escaping through his nostrils, before asking, "Are you da one known as Catherine Myuga?" His accent was very thick, but I could still understand what he was saying. He sounded like some top notch crime lord or something, but I tried not to poke fun at that.

"Why, yes, I am," I responded coolly. "Is there a reason you're looking for me?"

Then, a small smirk fell upon his lips.

"It's quite rare ta see your kind meanderin' outside of the islands," he pointed out, keeping his hands behind his back. "I'd say it's an privilege, but I don't think ya wanna hear that. Besides, they really don't do well with people givin' 'em praise."

My eyes narrowed briefly.

"We don't see ourselves as gods, for starters, nor should we be treated as though we were a species not from this world," I explained to him. "Telling us that it's an honor to see us," I glared at him, "is like committing an unforgivable sin."

He raised his hands in defense.

"Relax, doll, I ain't 'ere for trouble or to offend ya." I rolled my eyes as his hands return to his sides; already, I did not like him. "I'm 'ere on business, not to give ya any special privileges."

"Care to explain, Lieutenant?" I questioned in a less friendly tone, no longer wanting to deal with him anymore than I had to.

He smirked once again, looking at me as if he had finally caught a criminal that had taken him years to find.

"According to a source comin' from this location, we've gotten word o' your plans, Ms. Myuga." He told me. I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he was talking about. When he noticed this, he snapped his fingers, making one of the officers step forward and hand him a letter. "This letter 'ere details your plans ta kill everyone in this village before burning the place ta the ground, leaving no evidence behind." He opened the letter and took out said letter, turning it around to show me. It appeared to be a crudely drawn blueprint of sorts, depicting the murdering of every person in the village, including Mallorie and Monroe, before an image of fire was seen at the bottom. "I must say, your artistic skills could use a bit o' work, but we're not 'ere to judge that."

After a moment, I could not help but smile at that.

"Well, you should," I told him, "because that's not mine at all. In fact," My arms fell to their sides, "I never had intentions of doing such a thing to these innocent people."

"Is that so?" The Lieutenant questioned, as if he knew more than I did. Once I nodded, he chuckled. "Ya must be a little confused, because it's clear that this blueprint 'ere belongs ta you." He, then, pointed to to the corner of the page. "Your signature states it right down 'ere."

Despite seeing what could have been my signature, I kept a calm expression and shook my head.

"There is such a thing called 'forgery,' my friend, and it looks like you fell for it." My lips pursed as I looked away, staring at the few people who were off to the sides. It was then that I realized that they shielded themselves with hoods, as if they were trying to hide. However, instead of worrying about that, I looked back at the Lieutenant. "It's a shame to see someone of your high status fall for such a ridiculous trick like that. It only goes to show how much you really care about people." I smirked myself, noting the missing smile from his face. "You're so eager to put someone in jail for something you _think_ they did, instead of trying to get the facts or any shreds of proof."

He growled at that, clearly not appreciating the fact that I was demeaning the marines as well as calling him heartless and...well, stupid.

"We've got all the proof we need 'ere in our hands, sweetheart." He snapped. My smile fell from my lips as I glared at him. "We know what you're tryin' to pull, and it ain't gonna work on us!" His eyes narrowed briefly. "I always knew you're kind were nothing but treacherous sneaks, toyin' wit' everyone to get a good laugh."

My eyes widened at that before they narrowed. That was a low blow on my part, especially since he was bashing my people. No one referred to my clan as "our kind," talking down to us as if were just a pack of useless animals.

"Why don't you come over here, Lieutenant," I started, seconds before I reached for my back pocket and pulled out a kunai, pointing at him, "and say that again? Only this time, say it to my face, _if_, of course, you have the balls to do it."

The officers behind him prepared their weapons, their hands hovering over their guns in preparation for a fight. I did not shy away at the sight, but kept up a defensive front, especially since I was so limited on weapons. The fact that I still had one extra kunai stashed away in my back pocket was a bit of a reliever; since i was a bit paranoid, I even went so far as to stash at least one in _all_ of my back pockets, but that was a story for a different day. The Lieutenant reached for his sword as well, seeing my threat and taking it to heart. No doubt he would not believe me my words, but at that point, I no longer cared about that. The fact that he looked down on my clan made my blood boil with anger and disgust. His words made me want to beat him down until taking it back, made me want to teach him a lesson in offending my people. However, despite feeling all of those things at once, I knew hurting someone without a just cause was against the traditions and rules of the clan. As much as I wanted to, I knew beating down the ignorant bastard without such a reason would be childish and rule breaking all in one.

Looking back on that comment, I blinked once, moments before mentally slapping myself. _If his arrogance and choice to offend the clan was enough of a just cause to me_, I told myself, making me smirk, _then I think I've got every right to do just that._ Unfortunately, I would never get that chance.

Before I knew it, a large arm had found itself around my neck, blocking off any air for just a brief moment. I gasped in shock for a moment before it turned into a growl. I made an attempt to stab the stranger with my kunai, but the person grabbed it with his large hand, squeezing my wrist to a point where I yelped and released it. It fell to the ground with a _cling_ as my hand was moved across my body, preventing my other arm from moving. I struggled against the stranger's grip, only to stop as the arm around my neck tightened even more. Outraged, I looked up to see who it was, thinking that it was a marine who had found his way around the buildings and snuck up behind me. However, once I got a good look at him from my position, I froze instantly, eyes widening as I realized that the man that was holding onto me and preventing me from moving...was not a marine.

The large man smiled down at me and uttered a single word: "Gotcha."


	7. Surprises

A look of horror overtook my body as I stared up at the silhouette of a hulking looking pirate, his rugged features accented by the faint lighting of the sunlight. His skin appeared to be dark tanned shade, giving me the impression that he had never even set foot inside for even a moment. His face appeared to have a few scars, the most notable ones being on his right eye (which caused blindness) and across his nose. Dark and unruly hair sat atop his head, as if it had never been brushed or at least washed in sometime. He stood at what appeared to be seven feet tall, making himself look like a towering building compared to my small form. The clothes he had on made him stand out as a king or royal member of a high standard family. His torso was covered by a red colored button up shirt in which five of the buttons were left open to show off his muscular chest, and an over-sized cape of orange and yellow draped from his shoulders.

A wide and evil grin spread out across his face as I continued to look at him, cursing myself for not having seen it coming. It surprised me that he had been able to sneak up behind me and hold me hostage the way he was, especially when I trained myself to be keen of all surroundings. It only went to show that my angered state of mind toward the Lieutenant was enough to distract me, only proving the traditions of the Myuga clan to be true. However, it was not the time to be worry about who or what was right, especially since my life and the lives of the people around me were at risk.

"Let me go, you bastard!" I shouted, attempting to struggle once more.

The stranger simply laughed at me, angering me even further than before.

"I don't think that's an option, kid," he told me, his bravado loud and rather obnoxious, "especially when we've got business to attend to with these marines."

"I-it's him!" One of the officers exclaimed. When I looked over, I noticed that every single marine officer, excluding the Lieutenant, were now shaking in their boots. "It's the captain of the Komodo Pirates, Solid Body Drago!"

The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed, switching his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"I thought I had ya locked away, Drago," he called out to the captain, ignoring the fact that Drago was very much bigger - both in length and width - than he was. "Ya know, for brutally murderin' several marine officers and innocent human beings."

Drago laughed out loud at the Lieutenant's words, as if what he said was comical joke.

"There's a reason why they call me Solid Body Drago, Lieutenant," he pointed out, his grip on my neck and arm tightening even more. "And I proved that once I broke right out of prison." My eyes widened at that, yet I said nothing as he went on. "They could have put up a better fight that what I saw. It was so pathetic that I couldn't help but laugh as I killed them all in one sweep." It was at that point that the Lieutenant's eyes widened a bit at the captain's words. "By the time I had reached the docks, the people of the island had tried to stop me, but like those officers, they were only in my way and were dealt with accordingly."

"Ya monster..." The Lieutenant growled, reaching for his blade once again. "I shouda made sure you were secured in that prison cell o' yours instead of leavin' it to those officers." He glared at Drago. "You'll pay for what ya did to them."

Once again, Drago laughed maniacally, while I growled at the thought of seeing all of those innocent people - marine or not - murdered at the hands of such a brutish man.

"I don't think that'll happen, officer," he stated darkly. I looked up to notice the dark and evil look in his eyes as he stared at the Lieutenant, "especially since you were too stupid to even remember why I lead the Komodo Pirates."

Before I knew it, a battle cry had sounded throughout the village, making me look forward once again. Violet eyes widened as I watched the people, whom I had thought were civilians of my village, revealed themselves to actually be Drago's pirate crew. It did not take long for them to charge at the marines, who were now surrounded by the pirates without having a chance to prepare themselves. The Lieutenant wasted no time in trying to defend himself, unsheathing his blade and ordering his soliders to fight for their lives. By the time the lower ranked officers had tried to pull their own weapons out, the pirates were already attacking, taking down the officers as if they were the weakest fighters they had the pleasure of fighting. Drago laughed loudly once again at the sight of the falling officers, who tried their best to fight against their enemy, as if they no longer mattered to him.

That only upset me even further.

"You bastard!" I shouted up at him. "You're a monster, having your men kill those marines!"

Drago looked down at me, a glare in his eyes.

"Coming from a brat like you," he said, moving his arm so that his large hand took a hold of my neck, gripping it tightly and cut off some oxygen. "What makes you think you've got any right to defend those low life scumbags," He lifted off the ground, forcing me to face him, just as my hand fell on his in a futile attempt to release myself, "when you yourself have the blood of a pirate running through your veins?"

I blinked at his words. How did know that? How did he know that I had some pirate blood in me?

"How...how did you...know that?" I questioned slowly.

He smirked at my question, as if he expected me to as that. "Well, the answer is simple really." It was at that point that his grip tightened around my neck, making me cough in an attempt to catch some air. "It's because I knew that bastard that is your father."

My eyes widened at his words, unable to form a response to what he just said. _He...he knew my father?_ There was no doubt that he would have met plenty of other pirates while on the high seas, especially while on his quest to find the One Piece. However, the fact that he knew a brute like Drago startled me. How did my father ever have the chance to meet someone like him, let alone give Drago enough time to learn enough about my father to know of my existence? There was no other way that Drago would have known about me had it not been for my father mentioning my name. The question was why? Why would he decide to explain something as personal as his family? Why would he even mention that to someone who cared so little about life that he laughed at the sight of blood and enjoyed watching people die right before his eyes? It made no sense!

Upon noting my expression, Drago chuckled.

"You're wondering how I know that man you call your father, huh?" He questioned out loud, earning a look from me. Once again, he laughed. "You really aren't as bright a person as I thought, especially if that bastard Hara was your father." I growled, but that only caused his grip to tighten. "Anyway, your father and I used to be comrades about ten years ago, but he was so focused on heading to the Grand Line to find that One Piece he didn't bother with anything else. I wanted to get some treasure for the crew to have so we could be rich by the time we found it."

"What's...the point of...doing that..." I struggled to ask, "when the One Piece...has enough riches...to make...a king?"

His smile vanished when I asked that.

"Now you're really sounding like Amani," he muttered. I did not say anything as he went on. "He asked the same thing, but he didn't understand." A greedy looking smile fell upon his face. "If we got enough money not only to last ourselves a good amount of time but when we found the One Piece...Hell, we'd be richer than Roger himself ever would have been."

"That's..." I coughed once before growling. "That's...the dumbest reason to find the One Piece I've ever heard." He raised an eyebrow, but kept a glower. "You're more worried about...how much money you have in your own pocket...than the One Piece itself. Being King of the Pirates...is nothing to you unless you have the money to bury yourself in." I felt myself tense as my gaze focused on his head. "The way I see it, being King of the Pirates gives a person the ultimate freedom to do as he pleases. Travel the world, see new things, go on as many adventures to your heart's desire." My leg, unbeknownst to Drago, slowly behind the other, preparing myself for a fight. "Being the king isn't about how much money you have or how many people follow your tyrannical rule. Instead, it's about having the freedom to do everything and anything without consequence."

It was after I had finished speaking that Drago started to laugh.

"Now _that's_ the dumbest reason to find the One Piece _I've_ ever heard!" He roared with laughter, while I sneered at him. "And who's the idiot that told you that pathetic little thing?"

I growled again and glared at him as if my gaze could kill.

"The person who taught me that...is not an idiot!" I shouted angrily. "He's my best friend, and has been since I was a child! That same friend has made it his dream to become King of the Pirates and do everything I just said!" The moment I felt prepared enough, I decided to let it all out. "And that person's name...is Monkey D. Luffy!"

In a single sweep, I brought the leg I crossed back up to his face, slamming it against his cheek. The force was not enough to knock him to the ground, but it was enough to release me from his grip. That was more than enough for me. Falling to the ground, a large amount of air entered my lungs, and the second my feet touched the ground I collapsed to my knees. I began coughing and panting in an attempt to catch my breath, but it was not enough time. Drago roared with anger, causing me to turn around and watch as his arm rose above his head moments before bringing it down onto me. With quick thinking, I lept foward and somersaulted away from him, seconds before his hand collided with the ground and shattered it. I performed a few more somersaults before stopping to really catch my breath. As I did this, I could not help but look up toward the marines to see how they faired. Unfortunately, it was not a pretty sight.

The weakened officers, now including the Lieutenant, were scattered on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain after the beating they had taken. Blood was spattered onto the floor, and the bodies of the officers were either caked in it, or had gotten some on them during their fight against the pirates. It was hard to tell which ones were dead and which ones were alive, but it was at that I realized there was nothing I could do for them. Despite everything that I had said about the marines for so many years, even I knew that they did not deserve the fate they got today, especially from a pirate brute like Drago. Glancing at Drago's crew mates, I watched as they had stopped their laughter over their victory to look toward his captain; no doubt it was because of the crashing sound that was made mere moments ago. Before I had the chance to try and get to my feet, the booming voice of their captain resounded throughout the village.

"Men! Don't just stand there dumbfounded!" He shouted at them, making them shiver briefly. "Half of you get the damn girl and take her to the ship! The rest of you destroy this pathetic town! Leave no man, woman or child alive!"

Without hesitation, a battle cry was once again heard from the pirates moments before they began charging toward me. Mustering all my strength, I quickly returned to my feet and tried to stand tall, reaching for my back pocket once again. It was not until my hand grazed against the pocket that I realized my kunai was not there. It was still lying near Drago's feet! _Damn it..._ I cursed myself as I positioned myself in a fighting stance moments before running toward them. _Looks like I'll have to fight them the old fashioned way!_ I shouted in my head as the men grew closer and closer to me, seconds away from being taken down one by one.

However, it turned out that I would not be fighting alone.

"You were actually gonna take them all by yourself, were you?" Blinking, I looked over to find the swordsman that was Zoro keeping up with my pace. He had a smirk on his face, while I stared him briefly with a look of surprise before it turned to one of confidence.

"You make it sound like I can't handle myself," I stated with a smile of my own.

"We don't think that." I looked over my other shoulder to find Sanji keeping up with my pace as well, a smile of his own playing his lips. "We just don't want our new crew mate taking all the fun!" My eyes widened briefly as he said that. New crew mate? Did he and Zoro already know that I was going to be a part of Luffy's crew, or were they just assuming that, because I knew their captain, I would eventually join? "By the way," Sanji continued, holding a familiar looking object in his hand before tossing over to me; it was my sword. "Your dad wanted to give you this along with your other weapons before you got into any fights."

With a smirk, I caught it with ease and looked at it briefly before looking over to Zoro, who held the other weapons that Sanji spoke of.

"You guys couldn't have come at a better time!" I told them as he tossed them over to me. Once I caught it with one hand, I strapped it onto the rim of my pants before unsheathing my own blade. "For that, I'll let you have a good portion of these to take down."

"Sounds great," Zoro responded, unsheathing his own blades and preparing for battle.

With a smirk, I swung my blade at the first pirate that was closest to me, starting the all out brawl with my comrades.

**_General POV_**

Mallorie silently sat on her usual chair, staring at her own feet with her hands on her lap. Her blue eyes appeared distant, yet her chestnut hair shielded it from the view of anyone that may have seen her. She gripped her floral dress briefly as she looked back on what had happened about ten minutes ago.

"_Just because we don't know any of you doesn't mean Catherine doesn't,_" Luffy's voice rang clear in her head. "_In a way, she considers you her treasure, and will do anything to keep you safe. If she's willing to do anything and everything to make sure everyone is okay, then we'll do the same._"

A small smile formed on her face as she thought of the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, moments before looking toward the table. Next to the plate filled only with crumbs was his Wanted Poster, which was what she wanted to show Catherine before she left. She wanted to show it to her to inform her of Luffy's progress on his journey to find the One Piece. Even now, she could still hear Catherine going on and on about how Luffy dreamt of becoming King of the Pirates and seeing the world with his newfound freedom. At first, it seemed ridiculous to her and Monroe, but after seeing that poster with her own two eyes, it was clear that Catherine was not speaking of a childhood's fantasy life. Luffy was very serious about becoming a pirate; the proof was scribbled onto the piece of paper, showing the bounty of one hundred million berries for a grinning teenage pirate.

"And to think..." She muttered to herself, leaning back in her seat, "that I took everything that she said for granted."

Ever since she took in Catherine at the young age of six, and after she finally started to open up months later, she never realized just how much of a life she had until she spoke. When she asked about any good friends of hers, the first name that came out was Luffy's name. Without having to ask another question, Mallorie listened to Catherine talk for hours and hours about her adventures with the dark haired boy, often times getting into trouble due to his comical antics. It was not until she mentioned their dream of finding the One Piece together as comrades that Mallorie started to have her doubts. Of course, she did not say anything to the dreamer that was Catherine, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but she thought it was a little ridiculous to think about finding a fabled treasure left behind by a pirate. Not only that, but since she saw it as a childhood's dream or fantasy, she truly believed it would fade from her system over time.

Surprisingly, it never did fade...from either child.

The sound of large footsteps sounded within the living room, making Mallorie look up. She found her husband standing there, holding something that she had not seen in many years. Her eyes widened as he set the object down; it was a rifle that suited someone like herself. He tilted it forward, as if offering it to her. Blinking, she looked back at her husband.

"Monroe?" She slowly spoke in a curious tone.

"Ya know why I brought this out, Mallorie," he said to her, ignoring the curious look on her face and coming straight out with it. "I think it's 'bout time we help those pirates."

Brows furrowing, she stood up and faced him.

"But Monroe," she started, "I thought that..." She trailed off and looked away.

"Ya thought I gave this up?" He inquired. She said nothing, letting him know that he guessed correctly. "I didn't just go an' give it up. I just couldn' go back with Catherine livin' with us." She slowly looked back at him. "I know yer thinkin' 'bout that pirate crew goin' down to help Catherine, so there ain't a doubt in my mind that a fight is gonna go down."

She stared at her husband for a long moment before sighing.

"Are you...sure you want to do this?" She asked slowly. "Even when you have no idea how this fight will play out?"

"Absolutely," Monroe responded with a nod, not a single ounce of hesitation or fear in his voice. She still appeared to be the opposite, which made Monroe put on a gentle smile; a seemingly rare sight for anyone who did not know him. "C'mon, Mallorie. This girl that we raised is like the little girl we always wanted when we got married. In a way, she's our kid, our daughter, and we only wanna see her happy." Her eyes widened a bit. "Eventually, she's gonna grow up and leave the island, but not if she's busy defendin' it from people who wanna hurt the people in the village. If we don' go down there and help them, she may never get the chance to be with her new crew. Hell, she may even end up being taken away for something she didn't even do."

She stared at the man that she had married many years ago for the longest moment, mouth ajar from the words he spoke to her and how serious he was, before lowering her head. He was right about that, so much that it left Mallorie completely speechless. Catherine was very much like their daughter, a child that Mallorie was deemed incapable of having years before the little came into their lives. She looked at the young girl and considered her a part of the family, her own flesh and blood. Whether she was born with the blood of both a pirate and the prestigious Myuga Clan or not, both parental figures saw Catherine as their own child. All they wanted was for her to be happy, and after ten years she had trained non-stop for the day she reunited with her childhood friend and joined his slowly forming crew. With the marines' arrival spoiling Catherine's chance at truly being happy, however, there was no possible way she would be able to leave. Not only that, but as Monroe stated, she might have been arrested for something she did not do, separating Catherine from her own dreams even further than before.

It was at that moment that realization hit Mallorie, and her fists began to clench. No one was going to prevent her daughter from being happy; not while she was still alive.

Looking back at Monroe, she put on a confident smile before approaching him.

"Alright..." She spoke proudly, placing a hand on the rifle. "But on one condition..."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"What's that?"

Her proud smile turned to a playful one.

"At least let me change into something decent," she teased. Monroe frowned a bit at that. "This is my favorite dress and I don't want it to get ruined."

He sighed and shook his head, while Mallorie laughed.

"You really know how to diffuse a serious situation really quickly," he stated despite seeing through her joke. "And yet, I'll still call you my wife proudly."

"I know." With that, she looked toward the door. "Now let's go. Our daughter and her friends need our help."


	8. Brute Strength

**_Catherine's POV_**

_CRASH!_

Down went the last of Drago's men as I slammed him into the ground with a single swift punch, causing a small crater to form where his head was punched into. With a huff, I stood up straight and sheathed my blade before taking a glance around. Zoro and Sanji looked as if they had not taken a single hit or even grazed with the hilt of a blade, which greatly surprised me. Hell, it looked as though they had done nothing but stand there and watch. I had expected them to at least have some dirt on their clothes, but even those were completely free of any dust that may have been thrown into the air. It only went to show just how strong they were. It made me smile a bit, thinking back on the captain that had made them a part of his crew. _There's not a doubt in my mind that he would settle for nothing less than the best for his crew,_ I told myself. _The King of the Pirates had the best pirate crew, so it would only seem fair._

"Man, these guys weren't even that much of a challenge," muttered Zoro, sheathing the last of his three swords. "I barely even broke a sweat taking these guys down."

I smiled at that.

"I hope I gave you guys enough people to fight," I spoke, earning glances from both men, "or it wouldn't seem very fair to take most of them on my own." Once I noted their smiles, I looked over at Drago, who seemed unfazed by the defeat of his men. It looked as though he knew it would happen. With a glare, I turned to face him completely. "Answer this question for me, Drago." I shouted. He simply blinked once, acknowledging the fact that he was listening. "Why did you come to this island in the first place?"

He smirked darkly, as if he were slowly becoming more and more insane.

"Well, that's an easy question." He responded. "I came here looking for you." Before I could ask why, he continued. "That bastard father of yours would never shut up about you and his eldest son, talking day in and day out about how he wished to bring you along with him on his journey to find the One Piece. By the time we parted ways as enemies, I knew enough about you to be a godfather." He sneered at the thought, but it was brief as that smirk fell on his lips again. "Not long after our separation, he sent that damned Lieutenant over there," I glanced over my shoulder to look at said officer, who was now unconscious, "after me, telling him of a the things I did and turning me in to the government."

I looked back at him and smiled.

"I never realized that my father was a snitch," I muttered out loud before giggling, "but I suppose that's what you get for killing innocent people and stealing their money for yourself."

He growled angrily.

"You're just like your father, you little brat!" He shouted at me. "It's a good thing I chose to come after you, since your cocky attitude is only gonna get you and your pathetic friends killed."

My laughter died down immediately, and I found myself glaring at him again.

"So...you went searching the seas, wasting whatever amount of time it may have taken, looking for me...all because my father turned you in to the marines?" My arms crossed over my chest and I sighed. "I really don't think you thought this through, Drago."

"It's not just for that, you bitch!" He angrily snapped. I looked at him again as he went on. "I had planned to take you along with me, hunt down the bastard and force him to become a part of my crew. He'll be forced to help me find the One Piece whether he likes it or not." My face remained dull at those words, blinking occasionally. His planning did not seem very effective. "There's not a doubt in my mind that he would be willing to do anything for his little girl, and there's no way he'd say no." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Unfortunately, after I found you, I realized that there would be no way to pull you out of here without one or all of the civilians protecting you, not that it would have mattered in the end." My hand moved to my cheek suddenly, using my index finger to lightly graze it absently. "That's why the marines are here in the first place; I had one of my men draw up a false blueprint that depicted the demise of this village by your hands. The fact that it was the very Lieutenant that threw me in prison was just an added bonus."

I did not say anything for the longest time, earning a look from both Sanji and Zoro. They appeared confused over my blank expression and lack of words. After stealing a quick glance to the both of them, the hand that was on my cheek returned to crossing over my chest.

"Alright, I suppose I could give you props for trying," I stated, "but...I have to say it seems...well, stupid."

He flinched, his expression turning to one of rage, as he shouted, "Stupid?! You mean brilliant! Once I had you in my custody and found your father, he would never refuse my demands!"

"Yes, he would, actually," I spoke up, earning another look from Drago. "I may not have gotten the chance to know him as well as the next person, but even I know that he would never fall for something as stupid as his daughter being held hostage. That's too cliche of a tactic, and he'll see a way around it without having to think for too long. I will admit the fact that trying to frame me and turn the villagers against me was a good consideration. The only problem with that," I shrugged, "is that you're a little late to use that."

"Oh?" He inquired.

"Had you tried this years ago, back when people barely knew me," I explained, "it would have been a little more successful than it is now. By trying this now, you're only making yourself look like a clueless fool. And besides," I smirked, "even if you were able to capture me, there'd be no way you'll hold me down for very long." I lightly tapped one of the unconscious pirates lying next to me with my foot. "Just ask your so called crew mates scattered on the floor around us. I don't think you'll be able to get me off the island too easily."

He was starting to seeth with anger at my words, slowly becoming more and more enraged with every word I spoke.

"Why you..." He growled.

"You know...I really don't think you're all the smart," I pointed out. "The fact that your sole reason for finding the One Piece is simply for the sake of making money really goes to show your greedy mannerisms. Not only that, but your planning skills could really use some work...or a lot, in this case." I smiled. "It only proves my point that brute strength doesn't make you smarter."

As I finished that, his anger had boiled over entirely, the look in his eyes clear with an intent to kill.

"That's it, you little bastard!" He exclaimed, his fists clenching tightly. "Screw my plans to take you! You and the rest of this damn village are gonna be wiped off the face of this earth!" My eyes narrowed, my hand falling near my ninja pouch. "I'll make sure there's nothing left of these pathetic excuses for human beings before going after you! It'll be like they abandoned you, much like you abandoning your so called friend!"

Before I had a chance to say a single word to him, a familiar sillouette appeared above his head, surprising me. After a moment, I realized that it was the form of Luffy leaping over the hulking form of Drago. He landed in front of him, his back facing the Komodo pirate captain. Drago had no time to react, since the dark haired teen took hold of his shoulders without turning around, bending backwards just to do so. Mustering all the strength he had, he pulled Drago off his feet, lifting him over his own head and slamming him into the ground. A loud crash resounded throughout the village, and the crater that Drago made previously was now enlarged after he was slammed right into it. My eyes widened at how strong Luffy was, especially when Drago was three times his size. It was not until that moment that I realized just how much he had grown over the years since I left the island. It only went to show just how passionate he was about that dream of his.

Dust from the crash sight filled the air within seconds, shielding Luffy for only a short amount of time. Drago's body fell forward, landing on his back with a loud thud. It looked as though he was knocked unconscious, but my attention was focused on the captain with the straw hat that I knew was my friend. Even from the distance, I could see the anger forming in Luffy's eyes, a sight that was rarely seen in someone as happy-go-lucky as he was.

"Don't even think about laying a finger on these people, you bastard! You have no right to hurt them when they've done nothing to you!" He shouted at the seemingly unconscious pirate captain, his fists clenched similar to Drago moments ago. "Catherine cares about them just as much as she cared about the people back at her original home, so attacking them is like attacking our home as well!" I blinked, eyes widening at the words he was say. "She may have left our home a long time ago, but she didn't abandon us like you think! I don't know where you heard that crap, but whoever told you is wrong. I know Catherine better than anyone I've ever met, and I know she would never even think of doing that without a good reason." His eyes narrowed harshly. "I'm not gonna let you get away with calling her a deserter of her family and friends, nor will I let you hurt the people she now calls her family!"

"Luffy..." I muttered under my breath, staring at the young captain's form with a surprised look in my eyes. He really did not change from when he was young, protecting the people he cared about when he felt the need to do so. It made me smile warmly. Just hearing him say that made me feel better, and it was because it was that moment that I truly realized that he did not feel any negative emotions for leaving him on Dawn Island, wondering if the promises we made were broken or just put to the side.

After a long moment, the rumbling sound of Drago's laughter started to grow louder and louder, reaching a point where he was now laughing hysterically. It only further upset Luffy.

"What the Hell is so funny?!" He snapped.

I was unable to see what Drago's expression was, but judging from the way he spoke made it seem like he was smirking.

"If that girl really cared about you and the people back in your hometown," he started, "then she wouldn't have left in the first place. She's nothing but a coward, abandoning the people she loves in order to keep herself alive." He chuckled as my own hands clenched, teeth clenching as I began fuming. "She's just like her father, incapable of fighting her own battles without running off with her tail between her legs."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Luffy shouted, raising his fist and preparing to beat him into the ground. However, Drago had quickly raised his hand and caught the fist as it was seconds away from colliding into his face. Luffy's eyes widened in surprise, while Drago simply laughed.

"You actually think a few punches will hurt me?" He questioned, turning himself over before getting to his feet, his height rising to tower over Luffy. His large hand still held onto the teen's fist, even going so far as to lift him right off the ground. "They call me Solid Chest Drago for a reason!" As he said that, his free hand clenched into a fist and moved it back. "And I'm gonna show you that reason!"

Within seconds, I watched in horror as the large man threw his fist right into Luffy's abdomen, letting go of his arm moments before the connection. I could see the wind slipping right out of him upon impact, and felt helpless as he flew backward, hitting the ground several times as if he were a rock skipping on water. It only last a few short moments before his body hit the ground in a grinding halt, leaving him unmoving as if he were unconscious. I remained frozen in my spot, relaying that single memory once more before a look of fury filled my being as he began laughing heartily.

"Bastard..." I growled, my hand falling upon my blade. Before I had the chance to think clearly, I found myself sprinting toward Drago and unsheathing my blade. "You'll pay for that!"

"Catherine, wait!" I heard Zoro call me, but I was so blind with rage that I could not stop myself.

Leaping into the air, I raised the blade above my head and aimed for his head. Drago had stopped laughing when he heard my voice and turned around to see me. He did not move from his spot and watched as I started to bring my blade down upon his head. However, before that could even happen, his large hand grabbed my torso, and I felt myself lunge forward as if I had run into a horizontal pole at high speeds. My body fell between his index and middle fingers, while my arms fell along the outside. It did not take long for Drago to start squeezing my body so tightly that I thought I felt a rib crack under the pressure. With a yelp, I accidentally released my blade and watched it fall to the ground similar to what had happened with the kunai. The sound of my yelp had made him laugh maniacally, as if he enjoyed the sound of my pain.

"Oh, it's about to get a lot worse, girl!" He shouted, moving his arm back a bit before plunging my body into the ground below. Within seconds, I felt my body tremble in pain as my body slammed into the ground, the rocks that jutted out from the previous craters piercing my back. It was not enough to pierce skin, but it was enough to have me scream out in pain and agony. That only made him laugh even more.

"Catherine!" I heard someone - either Zoro or Sanji, maybe both - call my name, while I struggled to break free of his grip.

Drago looked forward toward the men, smirking as if he had formed a new plan.

"I don't think getting any closer to us is such a good idea," he said to them. Then, his hand tightened around my body, this time snapping at least two of my ribs and causing me to scream out in pain. "Unless you want to see your friend turn into a broken piece of trash." I soon began coughing uncontrollably, and the faint taste of blood soon appeared in my mouth. No doubt that I had started to cough up a little bit of blood, but it was not enough to keep me afraid. However, instead of giving me a chance to breath, he looked down at me and tightened his grip even more. "So...you think that brute strength doesn't overpower brains, huh?" He questioned as I felt another rib crack, causing me to scream out in pain. "You think that dumb old saying 'Brain triumphs over brawn' is going to save you now?" My teeth clenched in pain, refusing to let out anymore sounds of pain. "Well, guess what? You're gonna end up dead for believing such a stupid saying."

"That ain't gonna happen," a familiar voice suddenly sounded, "if yer ass is already beaten down."

Just as Drago looked over to his side, he found a fist slamming right into his cheek. The force was not only enough to release me, but it was enough to knock him away from me and onto his side. I could have sworn I heard his cheek bone shattering in several different places, but I was in so much pain I did not have a chance to realize it. Inhaling deeply, I began coughing once again, turning myself onto my side along the way. The faint taste of blood still remained in my mouth, but it was not enough to be considered life threatening. Even though it seemed like a bit of a long shot, I thought it was Luffy who had saved me, but judging by the accent I knew it was someone else. With all the strength in my body I had left, I slowly looked up toward the person who had helped me, only to realize that it was not Luffy or anyone from his crew. Instead, it was the one person I did not expect to be here, especially when situation had gone from bad to worse.

Blinking once in order to get a better view, my eyes slowly widened.

"Mo...Monroe...?" I slowly muttered. He stood tall as though he were the leader of an army, his gaze hard as he glared at Drago like he was the criminal of the century. When I looked down at his hands, I noticed that her was wearing iron clad brass knuckles that seemed to suit a man of his stature. They had rounded balls embedded into the iron, right over where his knuckles would be, while the iron itself covered his fingers, wrists and half of his forearms. They looked like giant metal gorilla hands, and it surprised me that I had never seen them before in my life. "M-Monroe..." I started, fearful of moving a muscle and hurting myself. "W-where...did you...where did you get those?"

Monroe looked at me for a moment, but before he could answer, Drago suddenly spoke.

"I don't believe it..." The captain of the Komodo Pirates spoke, a hint of surprise filling his voice. "It really is you. I haven't seen you since the day I was arrested."

"I suppose they never got around to lockin' you up properly," Monroe said in a dull tone of voice. "Maybe they shoulda gotten better men for the job."

As Drago laughed at the comment, I looked at Monroe with a painful, yet confused look before asking, "What is he...what is he talking about?"

The pirate captain looked at me and laughed again.

"You didn't tell her? Are you serious?" He questioned, his tone filled with a bit of disbelief. Monroe said nothing in response to that, and I imagined Drago shaking his head. "What kind of man takes in a girl who's father is a pirate and doesn't tell her the truth about what you are?"

Blinking, I tried to move on my own, but instead fell back onto the ground. Refusing to try and move again, I looked up at Monroe, whose gaze now fell upon me.

"What is he talking about...?" I inquired, trying to hold back any signs of pain. "What does he mean by telling me the truth of what you are?" Monroe did not answer; it was as though he was trying to find the right words to say, but just could not do it. It was not until Drago spoke up that I realized what he truly meant, and it was his words that made me see Monroe in a completely different light.

"You stupid brat! Monroe used to be the once famous marine known as 'Iron Fist.' He was the one that spent years hunting down your father and had plans to turn him in."


	9. Parental Figures

Widened violet eyes stared at the looming form that was Monroe, who did not hesitate or flinch when Drago spoke of his - Monroe's - previous profession as a marine. I could not help but replay the menacing captain's words once more, trying to piece together what was happening. Monroe, the man that had taken me in without question and took care of me day in and day out, was once been an enemy to my father. That was what it sounded like, but how could it be true? He had always been a man that avoided a fight when possible, steering clear and turning the other cheeks were it possible. It only rose one single question in my mind: Was Monroe really a marine years before I came into his life, hunting down pirates as if they were second nature and turning them in order killing them altogether? I found it very hard to believe, almost to a point where I would have started laughing had Monroe said it himself, not some fugitive pirate captain.

To any passerby, it would not seem all that surprising to hear such a thing, seeing as how Monroe appeared to be tough and cold, seeing all the dangers and horrible things in life that stripped him of some, if not most, of his emotions. They would be quick to judge of him, assuming he was someone not to be toyed with, and would turn around if the chance arose. Just looking at his rough exterior would have made anyone that was weaker run off as if he were a dog with his tail between his legs. Even when I was still very young, I feared he would hurt me in some way, since he rarely smiled at anyone (and that included his own wife). However, if a person chose to go against the crowd and actually get to know him, they would realize how simple of a man he was. A kind, thoughtful and honest man was what he really was. At least, before I heard the sudden news of him being a marine officer come out all so suddenly. To me, hearing that was quite a shock.

After what seemed like an eternity, Monroe finally looked down at me, his eyes blank but not out of anger as it appeared to be.

"Now ya know the truth, yet yer 'bout as silent as a mouse," he pointed out, bringing me back to reality. Once again, I was unable to form words, still trying to comprehend how I could have missed that. He seemed to sense that and closed his eyes. "I bet yer wonderin' why I never told ya 'bout my days as a marine."

"Y...you never...said anything to me..." I slowly muttered, a sense of pain coursing through me. It was not just from my chest, but in my own heart. I felt hurt, upset that he could not confide such information from me. "Why...couldn't you tell me you were a marine?"

He opened his eyes and sighed.

"We never told ya 'cause we knew how badly ya wanted to be a pirate," he explained. "Seein' as how you thought the marines were the bad guys, we were afraid you would see us as yer enemies."

My brows furrowed.

"We...?"

"Yeah." He replied. Before I could ask what he meant, he continued. "I'm referrin' to myself and Mallorie." My eyes widened again, horrified over the news that Mallorie, the one person who seemed to sweet to even carry a knife with her at all times, was once a marine. "I know yer wonderin' why we never told you. It ain't because we didn't want to. It's cause we didn't want ya thinkin' we were bad people."

It took me a moment to find my voice before I asked, "Why...why would I think that?"

He chuckled, almost as if he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Think 'bout it," he told me. "I know how ya feel 'bout the marines, how they don' care 'bout the lives of the innocent." I watched his eyes narrow. "That ain' true. Some of them could be dubbed as such, but no all of 'em. People like an' Mallorie hunted down the real enemy for days at a time."

It was at that point that Drago decided to laugh, earning a harsh glare from Monroe.

"That's right, kid!" He agreed. "He went after his enemies, and one of those 'enemies' of his happened to be your own father."

Before I had a chance to say anything, Monroe spoke up.

"Yer talkin' 'bout yer old captain, aren't ya, Drago?" He inquired calmly, earning a sneer from the Komodo Pirate's captain. I blinked at his words. Captain? Drago used to work under my father? "Yeah, that man sure was a handful, always quick an' hard to catch, but I never woulda expected 'im to be Catherine's father. Not by a long shot."

Growling, Drago had shoved his hand into his sleeve, his eyes still hard with hatred at the mere mentioning of my father's name.

"Oh, they were related alright," he spoke, pulling something out of said sleeve and holding it forward. It did not take long for me to realize what it was; a picture of me with my family, father included. It was the same picture that was taken days before he departed. "The proof is in this picture. That idiot was dumb enough to give me this photo, so I knew just who I was looking for." He turned the picture around to look at himself. "You may have been young in this picture, but it's not hard to distinguish who are now. Besides," he smirked as he tossed the picture carelessly, "I already found you, so there's no need to hold onto it anymore."

Just as he said that, he suddenly pulled out a pistol and pointed at it, cocking the gun and preparing to open fire. My eyes widened further at the sight, making me move in an attempt to get up. Unfortunately, the broken ribs prevented me from moving any further, but someone else decided to make the move for me. Just before he could pull the trigger on his own gun, the sound of a different gunshot resonated throughout the town. It was mere moments before Drago flinched briefly, as if someone tried to hurt him but faked it, before turning his head in the direction of the shot. Big mistake. As he did that, Monroe had moved like I had never seen him move before and delivered a clean punch to Drago's face once again. This time, however, it was enough to send him flying into the building behind him, falling through it and disappearing into the darkness while rubble began falling on top of him.

I took a moment to register what had happened, marveling the unknown strength that was in Monroe and staring at him in complete awe. The Monroe I saw was not the same man I had met years ago, a man would was considered a "gentle giant," the kind of man who would never hurt a fly unless it flew in his face. The man I knew avoided a fight at all costs, and he was always the one to stop one simply by his hulking presence coming into view. Never, since I had arrived on the island, did I imagine Monroe being a marine, let alone a well known retired marine at that. Just hearing it come from the words of a pirate made me want to laugh in disbelief, tell him he was wrong. When it came from Monroe's mouth, however, I found it difficult to laugh it off, make it seem like it was a joke. The weapons on his hands, the deadly look in his eyes, and the brute strength he had mustered to attack Drago was enough proof for me. It was enough for me to say that it was true, and yet it was enough for me to be so confused at the very same time.

"Nice hit, Monroe!" Blinking, my chain of thought was broken as I looked up the minor hill, spotting the other members of Luffy's crew keeping their distance from the fight. Not only that, but I also spotted the familiar figure of Mallorie standing alongside them, a weapon in the shape of what looked to be rifle in her hands. Even from afar, I could see that she was smiling as if she had won a prize, along with the near frightened expression of Usopp. "It's been too long since I've seen you hit someone like that." She looked at her gun again. "A shame my bullet didn't do much to hurt him, but at least it was enough of a distraction."

After taking a moment, I slowly moved into a more comfortable position, one that did not force the movement of the broken ribs.

"M...Mallorie!" I called out, sucking in my teeth briefly in pain. When I noticed her looking at me, I went on slowly. "You...you were a marine, too...weren't you?"

I could have sworn I saw her smile fall from her lips, but it did not last long as she had started smiling again.

"It's true," she responded. "Monroe and I were pretty well known before you came into our lives. They called me "Rifle Dame Mallorie" back in the day." She started to grin; it almost resembled Luffy's in a way. "Holding this boy here really does bring me back."

Despite getting an answer from Monroe, I felt the need to ask her the same question.

"Why...couldn't you tell me after all this time?" I questioned painfully, but it sounded a lot more from the heart than it did from my chest. Her smile fell as I went on. "You said that...that we were a family, and that families never kept secrets from each other no matter what." I could feel tears forming in my eyes, but I did my best to hold them back. "You said that there didn't need to be any secrets between us...but hearing this...hearing that you were marines...makes me feel betrayed..." I began shaking my head as if refusing to believe everything that was going on. "I don't care about whether or not you were marines. As long as...as long as we were together, it didn't matter to me." I inhaled quickly and lowered my head, forcing back tears. "I just...I just wanna know why you couldn't tell me."

I could sense Monroe and Mallorie exchange looks at that point, as if they were talking to one another mentally, while I fought back any and all tears that begged to form. The silence did not last long, however, as Mallorie's voice rang clear.

"I won't lie to you this time," she spoke, making me look up a bit. "We didn't tell you because we were afraid of breaking up our little family. Since you're love for piracy was so great, we were afraid that your hatred of marines would have grown as well. We were scared that telling you the truth would have hurt our relationship." I slowly looked at her, noting the tearful smile on her lips. "You know that...I'm unable to have children of my own, Catherine, and you know that we've always wanted a child. With you in our lives, it filled that void for us. We knew from the beginning that you were both a different race and belonged to a different family, yet we treated you as if none of it mattered." Her eyes closed. "My point is...we didn't want to risk tampering or damaging the relationship we worked so hard to build. We couldn't do that because..." Her smile grew a bit as she looked back at me, tears now in her eyes. "...because we love you, Catherine. As any mother and father would ever love their beloved daughter."

It was at that point that the tears just started falling. Her moving words were enough to break me down to a point where I could no longer hold back my tears. I had become so upset that I allowed myself to fall onto the floor completely, sobbing uncontrollably as her words replayed in my head.

I understood what she meant. The fear that plagued her mind as a mother left her scared of the fact that the relationship she and Monroe had with me would have tainted with mistrust and hatred. She was afraid that I would begin to despise them because of their previous occupations. I could not imagine what went through her head when I told her all of those stories about me becoming a pirate, starting a pirate crew with Luffy and leaving to find the One Piece. Now that I looked back on it, I realize how much I spoke of my distaste for the marines, believing that they were all heartless monsters who only sought money for their personal reasons. As I looked back on all the things I said, I knew now that I may have offended them unintentionally, offended what they did back then. Just the thought of having done such a thing made my heart ache painfully.

"M-Monroe! M-Mallorie!" I shouted, ignoring the pain in my chest for a moment. I knew they were looking at me, so I did not wait for them to respond. "I-I'm so sorry for everything I said! About the marines! I never meant to hurt your feelings!"

Monroe suddenly started chuckling just like he used to.

"Don' go sayin' that, Cathy," he told me, making me look up at him. I noticed the smile on his face. "We knew you were talkin' 'bout all those other marines, not 'bout us. We knew how ya felt, and it's why we decided to retire." I wiped my face of the fluids that formed on my face from crying so much. "Quit that cryin' o' yours, too. You know I hate it when you do that."

I felt myself giggle after what seemed like an eternity and shook my head. Unfortunately, the family moment did not last very long, as the mood changed within a mere few seconds.

A sudden crashing sound and rising dust brought me back to reality as I looked forward. It took me a moment to realize that Monroe, who was unable to see it coming, had been planted into the ground face first, creating a crater similar to the one before it. Violet eyes widened in horror as I saw Drago's form looming over his body, holding onto Monroe's head as he held it into the ground for the longest time. It looked as if he was trying to drown him with the ground. His clothes were tattered and torn up from being punched into the building, and his cape was split in several different parts as if it had been filleted. His pants had been ripped as well, like he had tried desperately to pull himself out of the rubble, but had some trouble doing so in the end. Blood dripped from his head, along his arms and some on his chest, staining the red shirt even though it did not appear to show that much.

After another moment, his gaze suddenly shot over to me, and the look in his eyes was enough to make me shiver. They were filled to the brim with rage and anger, and he was now taking it out on the first people he laid eyes on. Sadly, his next victim just so happened to be me.

Desperately, I tried to pick myself up off the ground just as Drago stood up, eyes boring into me as if he were a predator catching sight of his prey. I felt helpless as I struggled to stand, and the look in his eyes was not making anything better. By the time I was on my knees, the large man was already making his way toward me, calloused hands clenched so tightly it could break bone - the proof was the three broken ribs in my body. Noticing this, I mustered up as much strength as I could and shot right up, nearly losing my balance for a moment before standing with one arm over my chest. It was hard for me to breathe, but it was not enough to prevent me from moving. He drew closer and closer to me, keeping that look in his eyes. It was enough to make me take a few steps back from him, even though it was clear that a few steps for me was just one for him.

"You trying to get away, you brat?" He questioned menacingly. I glared at him, showing no signs of fear. "Don't give me that look. I know you're scared of me. I'm not stupid."

"After everything you went through just to get to me," I slowly started, "all because my father did the right thing by turning you into the marines..." I smirked weakly. "It makes you look like a coward. Why would I be afraid of a coward who can't even think his plans through?"

He growled, raising his fist to chest level.

"I'm gonna beat your ass for saying, you little bitch!" He snapped before sprinting toward me at unbelievable speed. I barely had enough time to jump out of the way of his fist slamming into the ground. The crater that was left this time appeared to be twice the size of what was left prior, and it made my eyes widen in shock. He had become stronger just by becoming enraged; no, enraged was just an understatement for what he felt, especially after being hit a few times and thrown into a building. His head turned to me at break-neck speed just as I turned around to look at him. "Quit moving, coward, and just let me kill you!" He roared before coming at me once again. This time, I decided to try something stupid for a change.

He, once again, brought his fist down over my head, but I took the opportunity to sidestep out of the way as it crashed into the ground again. Seeing my chance, I quickly placed one foot just above his elbow and used it to pivot me upward, swinging my other leg along with me. It did not take him long to notice what I was doing, but he did not have time to stop it. Mustering up as much strength as I could, I kicked the back of his head, sending him forward and planting him face first into the ground. The kick irritated my broken bones, causing me to wince upon impact. Landing on the ground, I looked at Drago as he slowly started to get up again before looking over my shoulder and spotting my sword. Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity like that, I seized the chance I going for it and began sprinting toward it, cautious of my internal injuries and doing my best not to upset them.

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate had a funny way of playing tricks on me.

Before I could reach the blade and fight properly, I felt myself trip over something, possibly myself but I did not know, and collided into the ground with a thud. Since it was unexpected, the fall was enough to put pressure onto my chest, causing the broken bones to move in a way that brought pain all through out my body and force me to cry out in agony. However, I tried to push past the pain and just crawled toward the blade, desperate to grab a hold of it. For a moment, I thought I heard someone, or a few people, call my name, but I was much too focused on trying to get my weapon and defend myself to really pay much attention. Though, I probably should have.

Just as my hand reached for the blade, everything suddenly grew darker, and I knew that Drago was near. Gasping, I looked over my shoulder to find him towering over me, fist held high and ready to bring it down on me once again. This time, however, it was not just his bare fist; now, he had on some talon-esque brass knuckles that greatly resembled Monroe's. These, however, had sported long, foot-and-a-half blades sticking out from where the knuckles resided. Instead of covering his arm, it simply covered over much of his hand and fingers. Nevertheless, it was just as much a threat to me as it was to anyone else, and I could feel myself growing paler and paler at the sight.

"Now you're finished!" He shouted as he started bringing the newly revealed weapon toward me. "I'm not gonna waste anymore time just trying to pummel you into the ground when I can kill you instantly with this! Say good night forever, brat!" Due to the searing pain in my chest that spread to the rest of my body, I found it hard to move out of the way, and it was at that point that I realized just how helpless I really was. Unable to move to safety, all I could do was watch for a long moment before looking away and closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to pierce through me and, possibly, kill me.

However, after a few painful moments, nothing happened.

It seemed to grow silent for the longest time, enough for me to open my eyes again. The shadow seemed to still linger over me like mysterious monster watching over me and waiting to take my life, yet it did not move an inch. It was as if had been frozen in its place by a cold rush. My brows furrowed curiously at the sight, wondering why Drago had stopped so suddenly, yet I was too fearful of turning my head to see what had happened that may have caused it. Instead, I was driven to look in the direction of Zoro and Sanji for some strange reason. As I looked at them, I realized that they were much closer to me than before, as if they were on their way to help me fight before being stopped by something or someone. The looks on their faces appeared shocked, almost horrified, and they appeared to be looking past me...or in this case, above me.

Unable to keep myself from wondering for too long, I inhaled deeply and finally turned my head around, only to become just as horrified as both men. Only, it hit me a lot harder than it might have done for them. Instead of seeing the shadow of Drago, I caught sight of a different one, one that appeared all too familiar to me and broke me in two. The shock that filled me left me speechless, yet I found enough strength to utter a single word, a single name.

"...Monroe..."


End file.
